Coming Home
by 04Siran
Summary: Happiness...The one thing she remembered most about this place. She was always happy here...Skye returns to Ipswich after 9 years , determined to start afresh. But the secrets she brings with her might prevent her from doing so. C/S, EveryoneElse/OC'S.
1. Chapter 1: The Past

Wooooo, this is my first ever fic so please go easy on me! Hope you like it! :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Apart from my OC's.

* * *

><p>Chapter 1: The Past<p>

Happiness…

The one thing Skye remembered most about this place. She was always happy here.

* * *

><p><em>17 years ago…<em>

Layla Skye Ryan was born on the 5th of July 1988 and found by Katherine and Jacob Ryan two weeks later, on the doorstep of their home in the early hours of the morning. No note visible, just a bracelet with a single heart shaped charm attached to it, engraved with the letter _P, _tucked away safely beside the infant.

Katherine saw the beautiful baby girl as a gift from God as she had recently been told that her chances of having a child were slim-to-none- something about having a hostile womb. Jacob however was a little more hesitant in accepting the infant as his own, trying to reason with his wife but she wouldn't budge. That's just how she was- thinking with her heart instead of her head, he on the other hand was the complete opposite. Being a neurosurgeon, he had learnt to switch between the two when the situation called for it, not wanting his emotions to cloud his judgment.

After a few minutes of contemplating what to do, he decided that going to the police would be for the best. Although Katherine was not thrilled with the idea of having to give the child up so soon after convincing herself that she was finally going to be a mother, she knew it was the right thing to do.

Katherine insisted on staying with the child until she was sure that she would be put into the best care possible. When it came time to give her statement to the police she handed the baby girl to her husband, he in turn reluctantly took her, not wanting to wake her up. However it was too late for that. In his attempt to hold her in a comfortable position, she had begun to stir, slowly fluttering her eye lids until she was fully alert. Jacob braced himself for the uncontrollable sobs, but they never came. Instead she looked right at him with her green eyes and he could have sworn she smiled at him. From that moment on he was hooked and promised himself that he would do everything in his power to keep her right where she was- safe in his arms.

The following months were brutal. They named the baby girl Layla Skye Ryan and in addition to finding out that the she was stolen from the hospital two week prior to them discovering her on their doorstep- most likely by the mother who could not deal with raising a sick child, she was also born with congenital heart defects or 'a faulty heart' as Kate would put it. Jake having some knowledge of Layla's condition set to work on finding her the best cardiologist's and treatment available, constantly reminding himself of the promise he made the moment she looked into his eyes.

At three months old, Layla had her first surgery with Jake looking on in the operating room. It went smoothly and with luck she would never need to have another operation for the rest of her life- allowing her to grow up normal.

* * *

><p><em>8 years later…<em>

Layla always knew she was different, not because she didn't fit in at school or have any friends- she loved school and her friends, but unlike them, she was adopted, and for that- she was always grateful.

In the small town of Ipswich, Massachusetts made famous for its witchcraft trials and stocking mills, where everyone knew each other, Layla stuck out like a sore thumb, and she loved it. People treated her differently, not because she was a girl of south India decent living with white parents, but because she along with her four best friends were the resident trouble makers, and being the only girl amongst the group made her shine just a little bit more. She was the thorn in the side of every candy and ice-cream shop owner in town, yet they never turned her down when she'd come by for a free treat. All she had to do was flutter her long eye lashes and smile, and with that she could worm her way into just about anyone's heart.

* * *

><p>Laughter…<p>

It was all the residents ever heard as the five of them rode their bikes through the streets of the little town.

Laughter…

It was the absence of it that left questionable looks on the faces of all those who were so used to hearing it...

Skye hadn't heard from Caleb, Pogue, Tyler or Reid in two days and that just wasn't like them, for as long as she could remember, they were all best friends and practically inseparable. She wasn't one to worry. They always did enough of that for her, yet she couldn't help feeling that something was wrong. She hoped it was nothing, no…she knew it was nothing. She was just being paranoid. They were probably arguing about who got to take Madison Clark to the dance next week. Personally, she couldn't see why they liked her. She was stuck up and wore way to much pink, sort of reminding her of a giant marshmallow…wait no, scratch that. She like marshmallows and she definitely did not like Madison Clark. She would think of something else to compare her to later, but for now she'd find out why none of the boys had been by her house to play catch or ask her how to talk to girls. The longest they had ever gone without speaking to each other was a couple of hours, and that alone was torture, so where were they? Her thought's came to a halt when she reached the front gates of the Simms estate.

She buzzed the intercom and was greeted by the Simms' chef.

"Hello?"

Skye smiled at the older mans warm voice. "Hey Manny, it's me Skye. I was just wondering if Tyler and the guys were here."

He chuckled to himself, having just realized that he hasn't seen Skye in two days. "Yeah, come on in honey. I think they're out back in the garden."

With that, the gate began to swing open. As she walked around to the back of the Simms household, she kept going over all the reason they haven't been in touch with her. Maybe they forgot about me? She giggled at the thought. "Like that would ever happen." Her smile soon began to falter when she heard shouting. Speeding up her pace, she rounded the corner to see all four of the boys facing the pool house wall. She was about to call out to them when she saw Pogue raise his hand- it was shaking.

What were they doing? Yeah, they could be weird at times but she never gave much thought to it. She always blamed it on them being boys, simple as that. He stood there for a couple of seconds before dropping his hand and easing the tension in his forearm.

Reid smirked at this. "You're obviously not doing it right."

Caleb came to stand in between Pogue and Reid. "Ignore him. Let me show you. You're thinking about it too much."

Skye stood there in silence, taking it what she was seeing. Caleb's eyes had turned pitch black as he, just like Pogue- raised his hand. Suddenly out of nowhere, Caleb seemed to be emitting some sort of invisible force from his hand, and with that sent a trash can flying from one end of the garden to the other. Skye gasped, loud enough for them to hear. She saw them all turn and face her. Shock and fear written all over their faces. Tyler took a step towards her, she instantly reacted and took a step back. She was scared, her breathing becoming much heavier, almost starting to hurt. "Caleb what's going on?"

He just looked at the three other boys standing beside him and then at her, not saying a word.

She began hyperventilating, finding it increasingly difficult to breathe. It had happened before but Jake was always there to calm her down or give her something for it. The pain was never this bad. She could feel her knees about to give in and clutched her chest. She started crying as soon as she felt her knees make contact with the ground and heard hurried footsteps coming towards her. They were all shouting.

"What's happening?" Reid screamed as Pogue knelt down beside her, pulling Skye closer to him, cradling her in his arms.

"It hurts!" Was all she managed to say between the sobs.

Everything was spinning. The last thing she remembered seeing were the tears that spilled from the eyes of her four best friends.

* * *

><p>They spoke in hushed voices. Caleb, Tyler, Pogue and Reid sat in the waiting room of the Benjamin Stickney Cable Memorial Hospital with their parents, all of whom were close friends with Jake and Kate Ryan, and were especially fond of the young lady currently lying unconscious in one of the many hospital beds. The four boys had not said a word since arriving at the hospital. No one had been able to get them to open up about what happened. Hell, they were a bit fuzzy on the details themselves.<p>

"This is our fault." Caleb muttered under his breath, airing the one thought that plagued all of them.

William Danvers walked up to the four adolescents, putting a reassuring hand on his sons shoulder while looking at them all. "There's no need for you boys to beat yourselves up about this. There's no way you could have known this was going to happen."

Caleb tried to take in his fathers words but they did nothing to ease his guilty feelings. "Dad, you don't understand!" He shot back at his father, releasing him from his strong grip and standing up. "If it weren't for us she'd be fine! We did this to her!"

William moved to stand in front of Caleb, grabbing both his shoulders this time, trying to calm him down. "Son, calm down. Just take a deep breath and calm down."

Caleb did as he was told before his father carried on. "Now, why don't you tell me what happened?"

Caleb looked from his father to his friends, not able to say a word.

It was Tyler who spoke up. "It happened so fast, one minute we were practicing, the next we heard a noise and when we turned around, there was Skye, looking at us as if she'd seen a ghost."

The older man looked at them in confusion. "Practicing?"

It was Reid who answered this time. "Yes sir…we were Using."

William's eyes widened in shock and realization. He knew of Skye's heart condition but never gave much thought to what triggered her reaction. It quickly dawned on him that Caleb might be right. "How could you boys have been so reckless?"

But before any of them could answer, they saw Jake and Kate walking towards them with tired expressions. Tyler's mother Molly was the first to reach them. She had been the one who found the boys and Skye outside after hearing the commotion. "How is she?"

Jake looked at his friend, grateful that she had got Skye to the hospital so quickly. "Stable.", was all he had in him to say.

Everyone let out a long awaited breath of relief. Kate walked over to her friends, tears threatening to betray her calm exterior. "Would it be alright with you all if I spoke to the boys?"

They looked at her warmly and nodded.

She made her way over to the boys who she had grown to love. They always looked out for Skye like a sister. She sat down next to Pogue as he was the closest, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and smiling at them. "Hey, how you guys doing?"

Pogue who had remained quiet all this time felt like the weight of the world had been placed on his shoulders and couldn't take it anymore. "We're so sorry Aunt Kate! We didn't mean for this to happen! It's all our fault!" He sobbed into her shoulder.

She rubbed reassuring circles on his back, trying to calm him down. "Hey, hey, don't say that. None of this is your fault. Skye has been sick for a long time, you guys know that."

But Pogue wasn't having any of it. "No it is our fault! She saw us…"

Kate looked at them, her face showing signs of confusion and worry. "Saw what?"

Caleb quickly answered before Pogue could. He knew that the truth would only make things worse for everyone. Plus none of them could even be sure just how much Skye had witnessed. "Arguing… she saw us arguing and tried to stop us, but we didn't listen to her. The next thing we knew she was laying on the ground crying, saying that she couldn't breathe. If she hadn't seen us then she wouldn't be here." There was some truth to that lie.

Kate's expression turned softer, she now understood. "Now look at me…all of you. You four have always been so good to Skye. She loves you guys and would hate to see you beating yourselves up about this. So I want you all to promise that you'll stop blaming yourselves! If not for me, then do it for Skye…please?"

They looked at the desperation in her eyes and nodded. There was no turning back now.

Once she and William returned to the other parents, none of the boys said anything. Caleb saw the glances his friends and father had given him, but neither of them tried to stop his lie. So that became their story, and whether or not they liked it, they were going to have to stick by it.

* * *

><p>Skye woke up three days later and much to everyone surprise, apart from Jake's, the last thing she remembered was buzzing the intercom of the Simms estate and briefly speaking to their cook Manny. The boys filled her in on how she ended up at the hospital and luckily enough for them, she seemed to bite. But her memory loss was the least of her worries. Turns out that over the past couple of months, a series of narrow veins in Skye's heart had begun to form. This meant that less blood was being pumped to her heart and as a result there was a lack of both blood and oxygen traveling to the organs in her body- which explains her memory loss as her brain was not receiving enough oxygen.<p>

Skye didn't care much for the details, she only wanted to know one thing. Was she going to be alright?

Her father's answer- "yes", but it came at a price- her home, her friends, her life, and she was not willing to pay.

Her mother tried to reason with her. "Come on Skye, don't you think you're over reacting? You're only 8 years old. You'll make new friends. Plus we'd be moving to an entirely different country! Do you know what people would give to have that kind of opportunity?"

Skye just stared at her mother. What was wrong with her? Couldn't she see she was ruining my life! "Well I'm not like most people and I don't want new friends. I want to stay right here where I'm happy! Can't you see that I'm happy?"

Kate sympathized with her daughter but she would also do anything and everything to ensure that she lived a long and healthy life, even if it meant Skye hating her for the rest of her life. "Darling, Dr Patel is one of the best cardiologists in the world! He's your best shot at getting better and not having to worry about when you're next surgery will be!"

Skye was not backing down. "But London Mom? Why can't he come here?"

In time, Kate knew that Skye would some day forgive her…or at least she hoped. "That's not how it works Skye! Now we're doing this for you and I'm sorry if you can't see that right now but the decision is final. We're leaving next week. I'll help you with your packing as soon as I'm done with my own."

With that, she left the room and Skye was reduced to tears. Her parents refused to understand, so she ran to the only people she knew who would, her friends.

* * *

><p>Evelyn Danvers rushed to answer the front door of her house as she heard persistent knocking. She opened it to reveal a crying Skye. "Skye honey, what's wrong?" kneeling down to her level and pulling her into a tight hug.<p>

Skye sobbed into the shoulder of the older woman. "They're making me leave Aunt Eve! I don't wanna go!

Evelyn knew exactly what Skye was referring to. She had sat down with her friends- Kate, Jake and the rest of the parents to discuss what would be in Skye's best interest. No one was fond of the idea of the Ryan family packing up and leaving everyone else behind but if it meant helping Skye, they would all be supportive. Nevertheless she still felt sorry for the young lady in her arms. "Its okay honey, everything is going to be okay." She wiped the remainder of Skye's tears with the pad of her thumb and called for Caleb. He ran down the stairs and immediately grabbed Skye's hand upon seeing her. He took her to the one place he was sure would cheer her up- their tree house.

Reid, Tyler and Pogue soon arrived, and before too long none stop laughter could be heard all the way from the front of the house. Hours had gone by as Evelyn stared out the window of the kitchen to see candles burning and animated shadows. She dialed the Ryan residence and was greeted by Kate.

"Hello?"

"Hey Kate its Eve, just wanted to let you know Skye's here and she's fine. I'm actually quite surprised that you hadn't phoned to check up on her earlier."

Kate smiled to herself. "Actually I phoned Molly about 15 minutes after Skye left. Apparently Caleb sent Tyler, Reid and Pogue an S.O.S, and they were out the door before she could even ask where they were going. That could only mean one thing." She laughed.

Evelyn chuckled to herself as well. "It's a wonder what those boys are going to do without Skye to keep them in line. Anyway, I was just thinking that Skye could stay the night and you could come get her or I could bring her home in the morning, if that's alright with you?

Kate thought it would be best to let Skye spend as much time with the boys as possible before leaving. "Yeah, that's fine. I'll come by around noon tomorrow and get her."

Evelyn smiled knowing that this would make Skye happy. "Sure thing Kate, I'll see you tomorrow, bye." And with that she put down the phone.

Evelyn made her way out to the tree house, carrying as many pillows and blankets as she could. If Skye was spending the night, it meant everyone else was to. She reached the top of the ladder to find all five of them sound asleep. She could have woken them up and shooed them to the bedrooms but they looked so peaceful. She placed the pillows to one side and covered them with the blankets, realizing that this would be one of the last times they'd all be together.

* * *

><p>All four of the boys were wide awake by the time the Sun had come up, wondering what their lives would be like when Skye was no longer there. They had known for a few days that Skye and her parents were leaving soon. None of them really liked it but as selfish as it may seem, they were also somewhat glad. It meant they wouldn't have to hide who they truly were and what they could do from Skye, as well as avoid putting her through that much pain ever again. They would still miss her terribly though and knew that when the time came for her to leave, she would take a tiny bit of each of them with her.<p>

Reid was taken out of his daze when he saw Skye begin to shift and open her eyes. "Mornin' dork." He said smiling at her.

Skye chuckled to herself. "Shut it Garwin."

Tyler reached over and ruffled her hair. She tried to smack his hand away. This only seemed to excite him further as he pulled her under his arm and gave her a noogie.

Pogue laughed at this, glad that she seemed to be happier than she was a couple of hours ago. "Come on guys, knock it off, before one of you falls out."

Skye finally managed to release herself from under his arms. "Yeah Tyler, knock it off.", trying to imitate Pogue in the process.

He just smirked at her.

They all just sat in their spots for a while, no one really knowing what to say. She thought it best to break the awkward silence. "So I guess you guys know, huh?"

Caleb answered. "We're sorry we didn't tell you Skye, our parents made us promise to keep it a secret. They said that it should be your mom and dad who broke the news to you."

Skye just smiled at them. "Don't worry about it, I understand…still sucks that I have to leave though!"

Reid tried to make light of the situation. "Maybe it won't be so bad. I mean you'll make new friend and you'll be getting better."

Skye was a bit frustrated at that point. "God, you sound just like my parents!"

Caleb and the others weren't trying to make her feel bad but they had to at least try and make her understand that it was the right thing to do. "C'mon Skye, don't be like that. Everyone's just tryna' do what's best for you." He stated calmly.

She was on the verge of tears. She thought that they- her best friends, of all people would understand and want her to stick around. She was wrong. They probably wanted her gone so they wouldn't have to put up with her anymore, or so she thought. "Whatever! You guys probably don't wanna be hanging around with a girl anymore…I get it.", and with that she climbed down the ladder and headed towards the house.

She heard them call after her but she just ignored them. They were probably feeling sorry for her and if they didn't want to be friends anymore, then she wasn't going to force them. She stepped into the house and was greeted by Caleb's mother. "Hey Hun, you're Mom's coming by in about an hour to pick you up. Do want some breakfast while you're waiting? I could make you some French toast? I know it's your favourite."

Skye just smiled at her and nodded her head. Some things would never change. She sat in silence as Evelyn whipped around the kitchen, making breakfast. They ate together and when the boys finally came in from the tree house, she ignored them and they didn't push her to speak, not wanting to upset her any more.

Kate rounded the corner in her car and came to a stop in from of the Danvers' Estate. She buzzed the intercom and Evelyn answered. "Hello?"

"Hey Eve, its me."

Evelyn recognizing the woman's voice as Kate's, pressed the button for the gates to open and heard her car hooter from outside. "Skye, you're Mom's here." She called from the front door.

Skye hopped of the bar stool in the kitchen, not looking back to say bye to the boys. They just watched her exit the kitchen from their seats. Skye made her way out the house to her mother's car and saw the two women having a discussion. She simply hugged Evelyn goodbye and got in the passenger seat of the car. As they drove away, she looked at the rear-view mirror to see the four boys standing at the doorway to the house, just watching them drive away. Their eyes made contact for a second before Skye looked away and kept her eyes focused on the road in front of her. The ride home was silent.

* * *

><p>A week later, Caleb, Pogue, Reid and Tyler stood with their parents, in the Departures lounge of Boston Logan airport, waiting for Jake, Kate and Skye to return from the international check-in desks. Skye hadn't spoken to any of the boys since the day she slept over. They tried calling her and going over to her house but she refused to see or speak to them. There was no more they could do, she was leaving and they hadn't had a chance to make everything right.<p>

"British Airways flight BA106 to London, Heathrow is now boarding. Passengers please make your way to gate 12. Thank you." They all heard from the announcer.

Kate, Jake and Skye had just enough time to say their goodbyes. It was an emotional farewell as all the older women cried. Skye turned to the boys with an expressionless face after being dragged from hug to hug by all the elder men and women. She looked at them for a second before speaking. "Goodbye."

Nothing more, nothing less…

She turned back to her parents, taking her fathers hands as they walked towards the security check. Once they were through, she looked back at all the people waving and stared at her best friends, a rush of emotion hitting her. What was wrong with her? They were just trying to make her feel better. She let go of her father's hand and sprinted towards them. They saw her coming and caught her in a group hug. They stayed like that for a few seconds before Skye broke away. "I'm gonna miss you guys so much!"

"Ditto" was all they said, smiling as they watched Skye make her way back towards her parents and take her fathers hand.

Everything was the way it was meant to be.

* * *

><p>Well there you go guys. I wanna thank everyone who took the time to read this. I plan on making it a mulit chapter story- if anyone hadn't realised. I'll try and update regularly but exams are nearing so I'm apologizing in advance- incase I mess up! Also I'd really appreciate any feedback- comments, criticisms, suggestions...literally anything lol, so please please please R&amp;R!<p>

Until next time...

Siran :)


	2. Chapter 2: A Fresh Start

First things first...

3 cheers for sthrnpanther06 - my first reviewer! Thank you so much!

I dedicate this chapter to one of my best friends Ayesha Ahmed! :D

Oh and by the way, the story is set in 2005/2006- same as the movie. Just incase anyone was wondering.

The person I imagine Skye to look like is Freida Pinto - because I love her!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Apart from my OC's and bits of the story line.

Enjoy! :)

* * *

><p>Chapter 2: A Fresh Start<p>

It's been 9 years since Skye set foot in Ipswich, leaving on a rather bitter-sweet note. She remembers it like it was yesterday. Deciding at the very last minute to stop being so pig-headed and forgive the friends who hadn't really done anything wrong. The friends who she quickly lost touch with.

How was the little town going to react to the Ryan family's sudden return? People would definitely want an explanation. She hadn't even told her parents why she so desperately wanted to come back. They wouldn't be able to handle the truth. She could barely explain it to herself without sounding crazy, so she told them what she thought they'd want to hear. She missed home, leaving out the part that she needed to get as far away from that place as possible, before her nightmares became a reality, and what better place to go than the one she always felt safe in. She was quite surprised when her parents didn't even put up a fight. It was almost as if they were waiting for Skye to give the signal, the one that meant they could finally return home.

Thanks to Dr. Patel, Skye's heart condition had improved so much that she didn't even need treatment anymore. A miracle he called it. She had also just finished with her secondary education so really, there was nothing holding them back.

London had turned out to be everything she hoped it wouldn't. She wanted to hate it but couldn't find it in her heart to dislike such a magical place. She was quickly taken in by its rich history and vibrant way of life. After a couple months of being there, her old friends and old home become but a distant memory. She wasn't the only one to blame for that though. She tried to keep in contact but stopped after a while, what was the use in trying if the other end wasn't reciprocating? And that's exactly what happened. They stopped responding to her letters, emails and postcards, so she gave up. She can't say she blamed them though, she moved on with her life, so it was only fair to accept that they did to.

But sitting in the back seat of her fathers Range Rover, going past familiar scenery, she couldn't help reminiscing about all that time they spent together. She wonders how easy it would be to fall back into that life…a happy one.

Wait, what was she thinking? It's been 9 years! A lot can change in a year, let alone 9. It was safe to say she didn't even know them anymore.

But that didn't matter. All she wanted was a fresh start.

* * *

><p>The drive from the airport to their old estate by the lake was only 40 minutes. Jake and Kate decided that they didn't want to sell it. Skye knew it was because they'd hoped that one day they could return to it. In the nine years that they'd been gone, the property had been rented out to various couples and families who vacationed in Ipswich. Jake had left this to Pogue's father Andrew to manage as he was the resident real estate tycoon.<p>

As they pulled up to the front gate of the estate, Skye noticed that there were lights on throughout the house. Jake and Kate didn't seem to be bothered by this as they carried on searching for the remote for the gate.

"Eeer…why are the lights on?" Skye asked, fearing the worst. What were the odds that the house was being robbed just when they got back?

"Andy must have come by and put them on." Jake said, still fishing around for the remote.

Skye looked at her father in confusion. "Wait…so he knows we're back?"

Kate chuckled. "Well of course he does Hun. We had to call and let him know so he could stop advertising the house."

Skye was kicking herself on the inside. Why hadn't that occurred to her before? Did it mean that Pogue and possibly the rest of the guys knew she was back too?

She was too absorbed by her thoughts to notice her mother calling her from outside the car. "Skye!"

She looked up, realising that they were now on the other side of the gate, parked just outside the house.

Skye hopped out of the car and followed her mother to the front door. She stopped before going inside, trying to take it all in.

They were actually back.

* * *

><p>After wondering around the house for a while, trying to suss out just how much had changed, she walked into the kitchen to find her father pouring three glasses of wine.<p>

He looked up at her and smiled. "Come on, we're gonna have a toast."

Skye chuckled as she walked over to her parents and stood in between them. "And what exactly are we toasting to?"

Kate just smiled. "Isn't it obvious? She asked as the three of them shared a look before raising their glasses and taking a sip each.

Skye was never one for wine but she seemed to like it. "Mmm…this is good. Where'd it come from?"

Jake picked up a 'Welcome Back' card that was lying on the counter and handed it to Skye. "Liz and Andy. They also brought over a bunch of food, if you're hungry." He said while taking another sip of his wine.

Skye looked from the card in her hand to the stack of pots near the stove. "Actually I was thinking I'd have a quick shower, and if it's alright with you, take the car into town?"

Jake looked at his wife for conformation before answering Skye. "Yeah, I don't see why not. Just be home by 12. We've gotta go see Provost Higgins about your enrolment at Spencer tomorrow."

Skye looked at her watch, it was only 19:28. "Yeah sure. No Problem."

The flight from London to Boston was only 7 hours so she wasn't all that tired, plus her curiosity was getting the better of her. She wanted to see how much the small town had changed since her family's departure. After taking a shower she searched through her suitcases for a change of clothes. Not wanting to waste time she grabbed the first set she saw- plain white tank top, blue skinny jeans and a black throw over, matched with a pair of black platform sandals.

Once she was dresses, she didn't even bother doing her makeup or hair, running a brush through it was good enough- she wasn't trying to impress anyone. She walked back into the kitchen and straight up to her parents who were sitting side by side on the counter, before holding her hand out, signalling for her father to hand over the keys to the Range Rover. He did so with a stern look that probably meant something along the lines of "Don't crash it!" Once the keys were firmly within her grasp, she smiled, kissing them both on the cheek before running towards the front door. Kate and Jake heard a "Love you!" just before the door slammed shut.

* * *

><p>Skye drove around aimlessly for about an hour, trying to see if she still knew her way around. She made her way down familiar streets, looking at the shops as she passed by, but one in particular caused her to smile excitedly before stopping the car and getting out. She walked up to the quaint building nestled between an antique store and dry-cleaners. There stood Joe's Ice-Cream Parlour. Skye was overjoyed to see that it hadn't changed one bit, unlike some of the other buildings in town that seemed to have undergone modernisation.<p>

"I wonder who runs it now…" She muttered to no one in particular.

Skye was suddenly snapped out of her daze by a noise. Looking around, she was sure she heard something, like a twig being snapped in half. "It was probably nothing" she thought to herself. Ipswich was a pretty safe place, but that was back then. Even though she couldn't imagine anything bad happening here, she wasn't going to take any chances. She thought it best to get back in the car and keep driving until something else caught her eye, so that's what she did.

After another hour of just driving around, she was ready to give up and head home when the distant sound of music caught her ear. What was that….a party? She glanced at the time behind the steering wheel- it was almost half past ten. Once again she let her curiosity get the better of her as she followed the music. It lead her to a narrow street that was jam-packed full of flashy cars. She searched for a spot to park that would allow for an easy get away if needed. Upon seeing one, she noticed it was beside a 2006 Silver Ford Mustang_. _Once she was out of the car and had it locked up securely, she took a minute to admire the Mustang, whoever owned it sure did have taste. Her eyes wondered to its customised licence plate and she immediately felt butterflies.

'Danvers'

"Is this Caleb's car? Well of course it is idiot, unless his parents developed a taste for fast cars and loud music!" She thought as she unconsciously smacked her own head. It _could_ only be his- the boy did have a thing for Mustang's.

She dragged herself away from the car and up the street to finally see where the music was coming from.

Nicky's!

How could she have forgotten about this place? She spent most of her childhood trying to get Nicky himself to give her a job and he always insisted that she was too young. "Come see me in 10 years kid." She remembered him saying once.

"Oh well, it's now or never!" she thought as she walked in.

* * *

><p>Just her luck, the door creaked when she opened it...Great. Everything went quiet and only the sound of the Jukebox could be heard as almost all the heads in the room snapped up from what they were doing. The guys looked her up and down while the girls huddled together to share their opinions with each other. Guess it didn't matter which country you were in, some thing never change.<p>

Skye rolled her eyes and made her way to the bar, ignoring the people that glared at her as she passed them by. She took a seat on an empty bar stool and a large tattooed man approached her from behind the counter. "What can I get ya Darlin?"

She eyed Nicky knowingly. The man had put some weight on but seemed to be wearing the same type of clothes he did back then. "Soda float please."

He gave her a curious look before heading into the back to make her drink. While waiting, she turned around and scanned the room.

"So Mr Danvers…which one might you be?" she muttered under her breath.

"Looking for someone?" She heard from the spot to her right. She spun around on her stool to see a semi-good looking blonde guy leaning against the counter, grinning at her.

"Depends who you are." She said in her politest voice while putting on a fake smile. There was something about the guy that irritated her. He exuded this over cockiness that she found highly unattractive.

He continued to grin at her. "For you gorgeous…anyone!"

"Ergh, Perv!" She thought as she turned towards the bar to see Nicky coming back with her drink.

"Here's your drink Darlin…and go away Aaron." He said smiling at her then turning to the boy standing next to her.

Aaron gave Skye a look as if to say "Well?" She just ignored him and carried on staring at her drink, a small grin forming on her lips. He threw his palms up in defeat and walked away. So that was Aaron Abbott huh? Why was she not surprised?

She looked up at Nicky and smiled genuinely. "Thanks for that."

He chuckled at her and gave her that curious look again. "Trust me, it was my pleasure…You look familiar but I'm sure I haven't seen you in here before. "You new in town?"

Skye could feel butterflies again. "I guess you could say that…Got in today from London."

Nicky's eyes widened just a bit before they travelled to her drink. "London huh….you know, it's been years since someone's come in here and ordered a Soda Float."

Skye felt herself become a bit hopeful, Nicky was so close. "They always were my favourite." She said smiling at him and taking a sip of her drink.

Once again Nicky's eyes widened, this time in realisation. Without a word he left Skye and went over to the pin board, pulling off what looked to be an old photograph and stared at it for a minute before looking back at her. He walked back over and placed the photo on the counter.

It made her giggle. There she stood, in between four boys. They were all smiling. "I remember that day, it was the last time I was in here." She simply stated before looking up at Nicky.

He was laughing and shaking his head. "My God…Layla Skye Ryan, you little shit!

She pulled her index finger up to her lips. "Come on now Nicky, we've gotta keep this on the down low. No one knows I'm back!"

He nodded his head towards his office, indicating for Skye to follow. Once she stepped inside, he pulled her into a bone crushing hug.

"…cutting off circulation here Nicky."

He set her down. "Well, can you blame me?"

She laughed at the older man and was about to ask him how he was when someone walked into the office. He looked to be about Skye's age with brown floppy hair and baby blue eyes…she knew those eyes.

"Oh man, I'm sorry to just barge in Nicky, but Aaron and Reid are going at it again!" He said in frustration, pointing his thumb in the direction of the commotion.

Nicky let out a groan before pointing at Skye and leaving. "You, don't go anywhere." And with that left Skye on her own with the unknown boy.

She gave him a once over. Damn, he was hot...Wait! Did he say Reid?

* * *

><p>Tyler was a bit embarrassed after Nicky exited the room. He noticed the girl checking him out and cleared his throat. Her eyes immediately met his and her cheeks began to colour. He didn't want to make her feel awkward so he thought it best to introduce himself. "Hey I'm sorry about that, my buddy gets a little carried away when it comes to betting. Nicky's usually the only one who can hold him back….Oh um, I'm Tyler by the way, Tyler Simms. He said holding out his hand.<p>

Skye smiled at his name, letting out a nervous laugh before shaking his hand. "I'm….Mia…Patel, and don't worry about it, Nicky and I were just catching up." She said lying through her teeth. She was definitely going to Hell for this.

Tyler nodded his head understandingly. "Wow, she's gorgeous! There's also something about her…" He thought, returning the smile. "So…how do you know Nicky?"

Skye had to think fast. She wasn't prepared for this. "Um…he's a family friend." It was the best she could come up with at the time.

Tyler raised his eyebrows at her hesitation, but decided to let it go. There was definitely something familiar about her. He just couldn't put his finger on it. She shifted her weight from one foot to another, looking for something else to do other than stare at him.

A loud crash caused them both to hurry out of the office to see tables being kicked over as Aaron was escorted out of the bar by Nicky. Tyler just shook his head like it was an everyday occurrence, and then turned to Skye or Mia in his mind. "Hey, can I get you a drink?"

She was about to say yes when the clock on the wall caught her eye, it was 23:25. "Thanks, but I should really be getting home, maybe some other time."

He smiled and nodded his head. "Does that mean you're gonna be in town for awhile?"

She chuckled and gave him her best smile while walking towards the door. "Something like that. I'll see you around Tyler."

He gave her a small wave and turned back to his friends, who had, unbeknownst to both Tyler and Skye, witnessed their entire interaction.

Skye walked out the door to see Nicky heading back inside. "And where do you think you're going? Unless I'm mistaken, you've got some explaining to do."

She tilted her head to the side and grinned before hugging him. "Don't worry Nicky, I'm not going anywhere."

He returned the hug and let her go, watching her walk away until she was out of sight.

* * *

><p>"Who was that?" Caleb asked as Tyler sat back down.<p>

"Mia Patel…says she's an old friend of Nicky's." He answered

Reid smirked at this. "Nicky has friends?"

They all laughed at Reid, knowing he wasn't actually being serious. Tyler then shook his head thoughtfully. "I don't know man, he seems to know her, but there's something about her…I can't seem to figure out what it is though."

Pogue looked at him questioningly. "Something as in….?"

Tyler thought about Pogue's question for a moment before answering. "Familiar."

"Her name doesn't ring any bells….But wait, Patel? Haven't we heard that name from somewhere before?"

They all took a minute to consider Caleb's question.

"Well shoot boys…I think there's a bigger picture here." Reid stated casually.

Pogue who already knew where Reid was going with this, decided to humour him anyway. "Oh yeah, and what's that?

Reid slapped Tyler on the back and smirked. "Baby Boy's in love!" He said, referring to him by his nick-name.

"Dude…whatever, lets just play some pool." Tyler said before getting up and heading towards a vacant pool table.

Their game was about to kick of when they noticed 'Mia' re-enter the room and walk straight up to Nicky, looking slightly pissed off as she spoke to him.

Tyler was curious so he decided to go see what the problem was…assuming that there was one. "Mia…hey you okay?"

She looked at him and let out a long breath, one she seemed to be keeping in while she ranted to Nicky. "Hey, yeah I'm fine. It's just some jackass parked their stupid Ducati in front of my car and I can't get out."

"Woh there…Stupid is a strong word, especially when you're using it to describe a Ducati" She heard a deep voice say from somewhere behind her. She looked around to see the guy in question walking towards her. He looked half serious, half amused as he approached.

Tyler chuckled. "Mia, this is my buddy Pogue. He's the jackass with the Ducati."

To say Skye was surprised was an understatement, and not because she had just come face to face with another of her former best friends, but because of his appearance.

He was the polar opposite of Tyler who, with his dimples and overall boyish good looks came across as slightly shy and guarded. There was no denying he was very attractive, but Pogue on the other hand was a different kind of attractive. More built, showing of his muscles in a tight v-neck t-shirt and leather jacket. That with the combination of his longish light brown hair gave him a sort of bad boy surfer look. Skye was very impressed, to say the least.

She was so distracted by her thoughts that she barely noticed Tyler's hand waving in front of her eyes, trying to get her attention. "Oh sorry, just spaced out for a minute there."

He just chuckled at her. "That's okay, I sometimes have that affect on girls."

Funny thing was she believed him, even if he wasn't being serious.

Pogue then cleared his throat and folded his arms across his chest in mock seriousness. "So what was that about my stupid Ducati?" He asked, putting a little more emphasise on the word 'stupid'.

Skye let out a nervous laugh and was slightly at a loss for words, still trying to take in his appearance. Plus, his insanely big arms were proving to be quite the distraction. "Um your Ducati? Oh yeah….it's um…..it's blocking me in. I thought about just knocking it over, but decided against it, wouldn't wanna scratch the paint on my car." She had regained a bit more composure and felt like winding Pogue up, just like the good old days.

She saw him flinch at the though of something happening to his bike...Ah, boys and their toys. "Oh shit, yeah I'm sorry about that, kinda lost track of time in here and forgot to move it."

Skye couldn't find it in her to be even a little bit mad at him anymore. "No it's fine really…I might have overreacted a bit. It's just a bit frustrating when you have a curfew and…" But she was cut off by someone.

* * *

><p>After waiting 20 minutes for their friends to return, Caleb and Reid decided to see what the hold up was, and sure enough they found their answer when they saw them standing at the bar, both focused on the girl talking.<p>

That didn't stop Reid from interrupting their conversation nonetheless. "Sorry to break up the party fella's but I thought we were having a game." He said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Excuse my friend. He forgot his manners at the pool table." Caleb said politely to Skye.

She was beginning to become overwhelmed. The two new additions to the group didn't need introduction. She knew who they were from the moment they appeared. Out of the four of her former best friends, Caleb and Reid resembled their 8 year old selves the most. While they had both sprung up considerably, Reid was a bit more on the skinny side with the same bleach blonde hair, but it worked for him, whereas Caleb, just like Pogue, sported big arms and what she could only assume, was a full on six pack behind his white wife beater. Their distinct facial features had become more defined, but still allowed her to recognize them right away. There they stood- all four of her friends. She knew who they were, but they still had no clue who she was. That made he her just a little bit sad.

She soon snapped out of it, realising that they were all staring at her with mixed expressions. She looked at Caleb's warm eyes, remembering him speak last. "Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have distracted them for so long."

Reid instead spoke up. "Ahh they were probably having more fun here anyway. I'm Reid by the way, and this strapping young gentleman to my right is Caleb. He said sarcastically.

She laughed. He was always good at doing that.

She thought for a second about revealing her true identity, but decided against it, figuring it would make for a funny story later on. "I'm Mia."

She noticed Nicky smirking as she shook both their hands. He was having way too much fun at her expense.

Reid used their moment of contact to make his move, taking a small step closer to her. "You know, Mia was my grandmother's name. You kinda remind me of her."

Skye burst out laughing. "Does that line actually work?"

He just shrugged his shoulders and winked at her. "It was worth a try."

"Wow…well as fun as this has been, I've really gotta get going so if it's not too much trouble…" She said before trailing of not wanting to sound rude, then turning to Pogue.

He seemed to have caught the hint as he pulled out the keys to his bike. "Sure. No problem. I'm gonna head off now anyway so I'll walk you out."

The two of them said their goodbyes to the rest of the group and headed towards their vehicles.

"So how far do you live from here?" Pogue asked, wanting to start a conversation so that he had a reason to look at her.

Skye thought she'd get a bit more teasing in there before they parted ways. "Why…you planning on paying me a late night visit?"

That sounded a lot like flirting to him. Well if that's the way she wanted to play it. "Answer my question and maybe you'll be lucky enough to find out."

She could feel those damn butterflies again. Why won't they just fucking stay still?

Luckily they'd reached their destination and she was quick to unlock the door but Pogue beat her to the punch, opening it for her. She eyed him curiously before getting in and buckling up. She reached out to shut the door but he was still there, leaning against it.

Once he saw that she was all set to go, he winked at her. "Drive safely." He said before closing the door.

She just smiled shyly and nodded her head, the butterflies toying with her ability to speak. She watched him get on his bike, put his helmet on and speed off, leaving her there to release a breath she'd been keeping in since he looked at her in _that_ way. After a minute or so of cooling down, she finally made her way home.

* * *

><p>It took Skye 20 minutes to get home without any traffic. She returned the car to its previous spot, opened the front door and headed straight for her bedroom. Once she was within the confines of her room, she stripped down to her tank top and underwear, not having the energy to switch the light on, let alone search through her suitcases for pyjamas.<p>

She was about to pull the covers back and get into bed when she felt someone grab her from behind, placing their hands over her mouth and eyes.

Panic instantly registered within Skye's mind and without thinking she elbowed whoever it was behind her, in the gut and threw them over her shoulder onto the floor.

Those Kung Fu lessons finally paid off.

She was about to kick the figure on the floor when it suddenly spoke up. "Jesus Skye, Stop! Stop! It's me!

Skye recognised that voice and immediately went to turn the lights on. Her eyes took a minute to adjust, but once they did she saw a pale, bleach blonde girl hunched over, clutching her stomach. The image almost brought Skye to tears. "Jesus, Annie?"

The girl in question looked up at her with a weak smile. "Surprise..."

* * *

><p>Well there you go kids...chapter 2! I hope you liked it. I do admit its abit dry but I needed it to kind of build up to Chapter 3.<p>

Anyways, here's a few things to think about for chapter 3...  
>- Who's Annie?<br>- When will the guys find out about who 'Mia' really is?  
>- What made Skye leave London?<p>

That's all for now. As always, if you have any questions, comments, criticisms or suggestions, you know what to do...R&R!

Until next time...  
>Siran :)<p> 


	3. Chapter 3: Surprise?

Yay for chapter 3!

I'd just like to let everyone know that Kate will not be part of this story. It's not that I don't like Jessica Lucas, I just despise her character.

Oh and picture Annie as Taylor Momsen in 2009/2010.

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Apart from my OC's and bits of the story line.

That is all...Enjoy :)

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 3: Surprise...?<span>

A flash of light, the first thing Skye saw when she woke up the next morning. "What the hell? Annie get off me!"

The pale blonde was standing above her with a Polaroid camera in hand. "Hold still, I just need one more, plus you owe me after last night!"

Skye groaned in defeat. "You couldn't just be a normal person? You know, call and say you're gonna be showing up a week early! That way we could've avoided me almost beating you to death!"

She snickered. "Please, you're lucky you even got one shot in."

Skye shot her an "I'm being serious" look.

She chose to laugh it off. "Oh come on! So sue me if I wanted to surprise you."

"Yeah well look where that got you…" Skye was feeling guilty for hurting Annie, but in her defence, she thought she was a murderer/rapist.

Annie lifted up her top up, showing her best friend the result of last night's event. A large purplish-blue bruise had begun to form. Skye covered her face with her hands, not wanting to see it. "Can you not do that please? I feel bad enough as it is already."

She shrugged her shoulders as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "Ah don't worry about it…Oh and your Mom said to tell you we're leaving for Spencer in an hour." And with that she left the room

Skye jumped out of bed immediately, grabbing her towel and heading towards the bathroom. Great...the one day she had to at least look half decent and she only had an hour…just great! Why didn't anyone wake her up earlier? She walked back into her room after a 10 minute shower to find Annie already dressed, and as always, looking perfect in an orange and blue colour-block dress, and brown ankle boots.

She was about to drop her towel when she saw another flash of light. "Annie! Will you just stop! I don't have time for this! I've still gotta find some clothes and do my hair and…" She trailed off when she noticed an outfit already picked out and pressed, just lying on the bed.

Skye smiled and walked over to her best friend, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry for being such a bitch and I'm glad you're here a week early."

Annie pulled away and smiled "That's more like it! Now go change before I'm tempted to take more photos of you in a towel."

Skye was dressed and ready within 40 minutes, giving her just enough time to have breakfast. The outfit Annie picked out was perfect- dark high-waist jeans, white ruffled blouse and nude platform Mary Jane's.

When she walked into the kitchen, she noticed her father do a double take. "What was that for?" She asked while grabbing a box of cereal. Kate must have done some early morning shopping.

He just shook his head slightly and continued reading the newspaper.

"Well if that look was anything like the one he gave me, then he probably thinks you're over dressed too." Annie said before taking another sip of her coffee.

Jake folded the paper and put it to one side. "I just don't see why you girls have to get so dressed up to see the provost."

Skye sighed and looked at her father. "Dad, we've gotta make a good impression. Technically Annie and I have already finished school. So really, he's doing us a favour."

Jake contemplated this for a minute before giving up. He should no better than to argue with two stubborn teenagers. "Okay fine, I get it. We've gotta leave soon or we'll be late. You girls have everything you need?"

They both nodded and made their way outside to the car where Kate was already waiting.

The drive to Spencer Academy was short. Both girls had no doubt in their minds that Provost Higgins would accept them into the school. Their transcripts we excellent, but finding a place, let alone two, at a school as prestigious as Spencer, just before the year could start would be difficult. The only reason they even wanted to go back to school was because they both intended on furthering their education in the US, meaning they'd need to graduate from high school with the relevant courses.

Spencer Academy was big and intimidating, with its gothic architecture and high ceilings. They had no trouble finding the administration office. Upon arriving, the four of them saw a middle aged woman with glasses perched on her nose, going through a stack of files.

Jake approached her, while the girls and Kate took a seat. "Good morning. We have an appointment with Provost Higgins about my daughter and her friends' enrolment."

The woman nodded her head and gestured for Jake to take a seat while she announced to the provost that they were here.

An hour later, they were done and exiting Provost Higgins office. "So I'll see you girls in a few days for orientation. You'll have to see Mrs Perkins about your accommodation. Her office is in the building to the right, just outside the main entrance. Good day to you all."

Kate and Jake both looked pleased. "It's almost 11, why don't we head into town for an early celebratory lunch?" He asked, looking at his watch.

"Um actually I think Annie and I should sort out our dorms, but you two go ahead. We'll call if we need anything." Skye said, wanting to actually give her parents some alone time and wonder around campus.

"You sure? Kate asked, a little bit disappointed.

They both nodded before hugging Jake and Kate goodbye. Once they were gone, Skye and Annie turned to face each other, both erupting in excited smiles.

* * *

><p>The girls walked towards the dorm advisors office with their arms linked. They were rounding the corner when they both collided with two tall, solid figures. It was like walking into a brick wall.<p>

An arm reached out and snaked around Skye's waist before she could stumble back. "Woh you okay? I'm sorry about that. Shoulda watched where we were going." She heard a familiar deep voice say.

She looked up and was met by a set of brilliant hazel eyes. "Pogue?"

He chuckled "And you thought Tyler was the only one who had that affect on girls?"

She was in a trance. Some how, Pogue managed to look even more like a Greek Adonis in the day time. They continued to stare at each other, Pogue still holding her up by the waist. Skye heard someone clear their throat and looked to her right to see Tyler and Annie smirking back at them. She quickly motioned for Pogue to let go of her. He did so reluctantly.

Just then she remembered Annie. "Oh um…this is my best friend Annie. Annie this is Pogue and Tyler. I met them last night."

The blonde raised her hand and gave them a small wave before eyeing Skye curiously. She'd remembered her best friend talking about the boys before, so it was strange that she was making it seem as if she'd just met them. What was she up to?

Tyler couldn't help checking Annie out. She looked like she belonged in some high fashion magazine instead of the corridors of Spencer. She noticed him looking at her and sent a flirty smile his way. Embarrassed, Tyler felt his cheeks beginning to warm.

"So what are you girls doing here? Pogue asked, trying to distract himself from staring at 'Mia'.

But before she got the chance to answer, she heard the faint call of her mother from behind her. "Skye! Annie!"

Tyler and Pogue were bound to recognise her…Oh shit! Her cover was blown.

Skye turned back to see her walking towards them with Annie's camera in hand. "Hey, I tried calling but neither of you picked up. I thought Annie might want her camera seeing as she's usually glued to it." She said before handing it to Annie.

Pogue and Tyler were speechless. No…it couldn't be? Could it?

"Aunt Kate?" Tyler said hesitantly.

Skye watched her mother look at the boys curiously before nearly popping her eyes out in realisation. "Oh my God! Tyler?" She said, pushing past the girls excitedly to give him a hug. She pulled away and held his face in her hands. "I can't believe it! Look at you!"

He laughed happily. "It's so good to see you!"

Kate then caught sight of Pogue who'd been standing there, completely silent, still trying to get over the initial shock of seeing her. She recognised his eyes straight away.

She was on the verge of tears and covered her mouth in shock. Seeing Tyler so grown up was one thing, but Pogue seemed to have changed alot more. "Pogue?" She asked softly.

He nodded his head gently before wrapping his arms around the petite woman.

Kate was crying now. Finally being back home and now seeing the boys who she considered to be like her own sons, standing right in front of her, looking so grown up- it was enough to reduce any middle aged woman to tears. "I just can't get over how grown up you boys look."

Her phone began to vibrate, but she ignored it and gave the boys another hug each. "I've gotta go but please don't hesitate to stop by. We're back at the old house and our door is always open!" She said before walking away from the group.

Skye watched her mother leave, trying to avoid eye contact with Pogue and Tyler. Her efforts proved useless though. They were looking straight at her, their faces unreadable. She let out a nervous laugh, trying to think of the best way to approach this. "Surprise…"

* * *

><p>They stood in silence for a while, no one knowing what to say.<p>

Annie however, couldn't take the awkward tension anymore. "Skye, what's going on?" She asked after seeing the worried look on the brunettes face.

She just looked at her friend, offering her a weak smile before turning back to Tyler and Pogue. Their expressions had changed to confused and slightly pissed off.

"Mia Patel?" Tyler asked, slipping his hands into his pocket.

Skye sensed the bitterness in his usually friendly voice. It was completely understandable, but still stung like a bitch. "My doctor's 10 year old daughter, it was the first name that popped into my head."

He nodded his head but his expression stayed the same. "How long have you been back?"

"Since yesterday." She stated, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear.

It was Pogue's turn to do the questioning and Skye had a feeling he wouldn't be as 'nice' as Tyler. He was always the one to hold grudges. "Why didn't you just tell us?" His tone was quiet, yet accusing at the same time.

She thought about it for a minute, trying to make up the best excuse possible in her head. "…Honestly…I don't really know. I thought it would make a funny story once you guys found out the truth, plus I kinda wanted to surprise you." So much for that!

"And look where that got you." Annie muttered under her breath, repeating Skye's words to her form earlier in the day.

She ignored the blonde, still staring intently at the boys.

Tyler looked into her pleading green eyes. "So…"

She wasn't quite sure where he was going with this. "So…"

He smiled at her. "So…you gonna just stand there or give me a hug?"

The tension in her muscles eased up as she felt relief wash over her entire body. She practically jumped into his arms. He in turn lifted her off the ground and spun her around, grateful to have his friend back.

Once her feet were firmly on the ground, she turned to Pogue. He had a slight smirk on his face. That was a good sign…right? He crossed his arms and took a step closer to her.

She could feel his warm breath against her face as he towered over her. There was something intimidating about the way he looked at her. She just stood there, not moving or speaking. Only the sound of their breathing resonated between the two of them.

Annie was a bit taken aback. In the 9 years she'd known Skye, there were only a handful of times in which she saw her at a loss for words. So naturally, she found her best friends' quiet demeanour to be slightly unsettling. "You two just gonna stand there like that all day?"

Tyler chuckled, but Pogue seemed unfazed.

The sound of Annie's voice brought Skye back to reality and she broke eye contact with Pogue. It was obvious he was going to hold this against her. She thought it best to just give him time to get over it. She took a step back, distancing herself from him and turned to Tyler with a small smile. "I'll see you around."

She grabbed Annie and was about to walk away when she felt a strong hand wrap around her wrist and pull her back. She looked at Pogue in confusion. He was smiling at her this time, making her weak in the knees.

Pogue leaned in closer to Skye. "I'm glad you're back… but I'm not letting you off the hook that easy." He whispered into her ear causing her cheeks to burn bright red.

She smiled like a little school girl and whipped her head around, grabbing Annie's arm once again before walking off in the direction of the dorm advisors office.

Annie stared at the stupid smile on Skye's face. "What was that about?"

"No idea". She lied.

* * *

><p>As they expected, most of the dorm rooms had already been assigned, however there were a couple of vacancies left, two of which were on the same floor so they figured it was better than nothing. They weren't going to be rooming together like they'd hoped but they were only 2 doors away from each other. That wasn't so bad.<p>

After sitting through a lecture on the dorm rules and regulations from Mrs Perkins, they thought it best to scout out their rooms, making it easier to find them on the day they'd have to move in. It took a while to navigate through all the buildings. The school was like a maze, but they finally reached their destination.

"301, that's me," Skye said, pointing to the door in front of her. She opened it with the key she'd been given to reveal two petite girls sitting cross legged on the floor. "Oh hey, um I'm sorry, they must have assigned me the wrong room, looks like this ones taken."

The brunette got up and smiled at Skye. "No, you're in the right room. I'm actually across the hall in 304. I was just helping Sarah here unpack."

Upon hearing her room number being called out, Annie popped her head through the door frame. "Somebody say 304?"

The brunette raised her hand and Annie smiled. "Guess we're roomies then. I'm Annie Finch." She said, offering her hand to the girl.

The small brunette returned the gesture. "Alex Ferrera…Wanna check it out?"

Annie nodded and the two departed, leaving Skye alone with Sarah- the other blonde. "I'm Skye Ryan by the way, nice to meet you Sarah..."

She smiled politely. "Wenham…Sarah Wenham. Skye huh? That's a beautiful name."

Polite and complementary, she liked this girl already. "Thanks, my full name's actually Layla Skye Ryan, but no ones called me Layla since I was 4." She laughed.

Sarah nodded in understanding. "So when are you moving in?"

Skye hadn't thought about that. "Probably in a few days."

"Cool…so have you heard about the party tonight at the Dells?"

Skye sighed. Ah the annual back-to-school beach party. Memories of hiding in trees and behind boulders, spying on the older kids drinking beer, dirty dancing and making out came flooding back. Good times. "Yeah, are you going?"

The blonde nodded

"Well I'll see you there then roomie." She said before offering her a smile, exiting the room and going over to 304 to retrieve Annie.

* * *

><p>"So where are we going again?" Annie asked, confused at Skye's choice of attire. They had purchased the outfit, along with others and stuff for their dorm rooms, earlier that day.<p>

She was adorned in a white Rolling Stones t-shirt, denim shorts, baseball jacket and a pair of grey Chuck Taylor's. It's not that she didn't look good, but Skye hardly ever dressed so…for lack of a better word, 'casually'.

"The Dells."

Annie just looked at her. "Am I supposed to know what that means?"

Skye laughed at her friends' impatience. "It's basically a beach party. Kids from Spencer have one every year to mark the end of summer."

The blonde was still at a loss, looking slightly confused. "Ah, makes sense now…. but I still don't know what to wear."

"Oh what's this I hear? Is the great Annabel Finch asking a mere commoner for fashion advice?" Skye asked, putting on her most surprised voice.

Annie crossed her arms and gave her an annoyed look in response.

Skye knew she'd hit a bit of a nerve. Being an aspiring fashion photographer, Annie took her wardrobe very seriously, and didn't take well to people mocking her about it. But this was Skye- she knew exactly which buttons to press. "Relax I'm kidding…look, we'll just go through all our clothes. We're bound to find something."

"That's easy for you to say. You'd look great in a potato sack!" she fired back in frustration.

"Says the leggy blonde who can pass for a model even on her worse day!" Skye was quick to reply. This was a conversation they'd had many times before, and it always ended the same way.

They were both quiet for a moment before Skye spoke again. "So… do want my help or not?"

"Well if you're offering." Was all Annie said, and with that they began sifting through all their clothes.

* * *

><p>Two hours later and they were finally making their way to the Dells in Jake's Range Rover. After searching through all their clothes, Annie only managed to come up with an outfit she was 'content' with- a red checkered shirt, white tank top, black ripped jeans, white Chuck Taylor's and a grey beanie (because she couldn't be bothered to do her hair), despite Skye's insistence that she looked great.<p>

By the time they reached the party it was night fall. Finding a spot to park in proved futile, so they retreated into the woods beside the beach.

The distant murmur of music and chatter could be heard all the way from the woods. Annie looked completely out of her element, jumping at every little sound that was audible to the human ear. In an effort to distract her, Skye brought up the one subject she knew would keep the blonde's mind occupied- no pun intended. "So what do you think about Tyler?"

Annie shrugged her shoulders. She knew what Skye was trying to do. "What do you mean?"

Skye raised her eyebrows at the blonde knowingly. "Oh come on, don't give me that! I saw you two checking each other out this morning."

Annie smirked. "You're delusional."

By that time, they were out of the woods and on the sand. Skye dropped the subject of Tyler, seeing as Annie had returned to her normal self, but she would definitely be bringing it up again. She saw how her friends' eyes had lit up slightly when they were talking about him.

They scanned the party for anyone familiar. Annie caught sight of Alex and Sarah. She went to join them while Skye scouted around for drinks. She spotted a keg of beer but that was a no go. If either of her parents even smelt the faintest bit of alcohol on Annie and her, they'd be done for.

After a while she abandoned the mission. From the looks of it, they'd either have to drink beer or go thirsty. She stuck to the safe option and chose the latter.

While looking around for the girls who seemed to have moved from their previous spot by the DJ's table, she accidentally bumped into someone. Instinctively, she started apologizing, but stopped once she saw who it was. Aaron Abbot was dusting of his letterman jacket and muttering something under his breath. She prayed he didn't see her as she tried to make her break. He was quick to look up though and pulled her back. "Well hello again gorgeous."

He had his hands around her waist and she could smell the alcohol in his breath. She squirmed under his grasp but it seemed to go unnoticed by him. What was it with this guy and not being able to take a hint? "Let go douche bag, before I make you!"

This only seemed to excite him. "Ooh you're feisty, I like that."

The appearance of some red head made him abruptly let go of Skye. She mentally thanked the girl as she walked way.

She found Annie, Sarah and Alex standing near the fire, talking animatedly.

"Ladies." She greeted, bowing her head slightly. They all laughed at her. "What've I missed?"

"Alex was just giving us the scoop on who's here." Sarah informed her.

This she had to hear. "Oh do tell."

Alex motioned for the three girls to turn around, and pointed straight at Aaron Abbot, who was standing next to the sour looking red head. "Okay the first thing you need to know is that Aaron Abbot is a total prick. Treats girls like dirt."

"Huh, you don't say. Who's the girl standing next to him?" Skye asked.

Alex sneered. "Kira Snider, Spencer's resident rich bitch. She looks down at anyone who doesn't own a platinum card."

Skye sighed in understanding. The Snider family owned a chain of pricey furniture stores and seeing as most of the inhabitants of Ipswich were millionaires, they did pretty well for themselves.

Sarah looked around eagerly, wanting to know more. "Okay…who's that?" She asked indicating to a good looking dirty blonde guy with spikes.

The guy in question saw them looking and sent a smile their way.

"New guy, don't know much about him." Alex said, smiling back at him.

"He's cute." Sarah said shyly. They all nodded their heads in agreement. There was no denying that.

The sudden immergence of four mysterious figures walking down the hill seemed to kick the party into high gear. The music became louder as more people took to drinking and dirty dancing.

Skye was deep in conversation with Annie about what happened with Aaron earlier when she heard someone mention "The Son's of Ipswich". She turned around to see Pogue, Caleb Reid and Tyler approaching. So that's what they were known as now? It would definitely take some getting used to.

* * *

><p>Caleb and Reid were the first to reach them, greeting everyone except for Skye. Great…Tyler and Pogue must have ratted her out.<p>

Skye was surprised to see Alex jump into the arms of a mischievous looking Reid. His features softened at their contact and he smiled warmly. "Hey baby, you're late." She stated before giving him a kiss.

He was looking straight at Skye and smirking. "Yeah, the boys and I had to sort some stuff out."

Skye rolled her eyes. She shot Pogue and Tyler a look just as they joined the group. Tyler came to stand between Annie and Skye innocently, while Pogue hugged Alex. "Who are your friends?" He asked with a smirk that could have rivalled Reid's.

"This is Sarah Wenham, Annie Finch and Skye Ryan. Annie's my new roommate, and Sarah and Skye live across the hall from us...Girls, this is Reid Garwin, Caleb Danvers, Tyler Simms and Pogue Parry." She said, introducing everyone.

Sarah and Caleb shared a look. "Hey." He couldn't help saying, then turned to Skye. "You know you look awfully familiar. Have we met before?"

"Hmm that depends…Are you still a pain-in-the-ass momma's boy?" She asked thoughtfully, putting her hands on her hips and tilting her head.

Everyone laughed including him. "Pretty much yeah." He said, beaming at her, showing off his pearly whites and pulling her into a tight hug. "It's good to have you back!"

"You know, I for one thought it would have made a hilarious story." Reid said sarcastically, interrupting their hug before picking her up and spinning her around.

"You're just mad coz you weren't in on it, Garwin." She said, knowing him all to well.

Alex and Sarah had been standing their, confused at their little reunion. "Wait, so you guys know each other? Alex asked.

"Oh they go way back, trust me!" Annie added in her two cents worth.

The conversation had just started to flow again when Kira Snider appeared. "Hey Caleb." She greeted him and ignored everyone else.

The rest of the boys all rolled their eyes.

"Kira." He replied politely.

"How was you summer?" She asked.

Caleb was too distracted by Sarah to even hear what Kira was saying. "Um…"

Kira noticed the way he was starting at her and didn't like it. She put on her fakest smile and turned to the small blonde, extending her hand out for her to shake. "I'm Kira…You're form the Boston public right? Tell me, how does one go about getting into Spencer from a public?"

Skye snorted. The girl needed to come up with some new material.

The red head looked at Skye, recognising her as the girl Aaron was holding. She wasn't impressed. "Something funny skeeze?"

"Yeah actually. I find it funny how you haven't changed one bit. Still the same belittling bitch you were back then." Skye said with ease.

Everyone laughed but Kira continued to stare Skye down. If only looks could kill…

She was about say something when Caleb intervened. "Why don't you give it a rest Kira?"

"Why don't _you_ give it a rest?" Every one heard as Aaron and his friend came to stand between Caleb and Kira.

Caleb sighed in frustration. "I don't want any trouble Aaron." He stated calmly.

"I'm sure you don't." He replied smugly.

"You posers make me wanna puke!" Chipped in Aaron's friend.

Reid had just about seen and heard enough. "Is that right?"

Caleb meaning what he said about not wanting trouble held Reid back. "Hey hey, let it go."

Aaron was still standing there smugly. Ah Caleb, the fearless leader. He would do anything if it meant getting under his skin. "I think you owe Kira an apology."

Caleb just laughed at this. "Actually I think Kira owes Skye and Sarah the apology." He said pointing from Kira to the two other girls.

Aaron looked at Skye at the mention of her name. "Skye? As in Ryan? Well well well…you sure have…grown up." He said, giving her a lingering look.

Pogue's jaw twitched at the way he was eyeing her. She noticed his fist ball up and she put her hand over it to calm him. "Ignore him…he's not worth it." She said calmly, staring him right in the eyes.

This didn't stop Aaron from winking at her before shoving Caleb forward. The fight was about to erupt, but the dirty blonde guy the girls had seen before jumped in between Caleb and Aaron before anything more could happen. He was facing Aaron and attempting to calm him down before he turned to Kira. "You were being kinda bitchy." He said matter-of-factly.

Seconds later, Aaron's friend started throwing up all over him. Reid laughed and Caleb gave him a look, while everyone else jumped to avoid it. That was odd, why would Caleb care if the guy was sick or not? One thing was for sure, his vomiting couldn't have come at a better time.

* * *

><p>Everyone was running. The DJ had just announced that three cop cars were heading down the road toward the beach. Pogue grabbed Skye's hand, but she stalled to look for Annie. She caught a glimpse of her bleach blonde hair bobbing through the crowd along with Tyler's as they ran up the hill. She figured she'd be safe with him so she let Pogue drag her away.<p>

Once they were at the edge of the woods, they slowed down. Pogue still hadn't let go of her hand and she wondered if he was aware of that.

They found the boys and Annie waiting by Tyler's Hummer. Alex and Sarah must have already left. "You girls need a ride?" Tyler offered.

Annie smiled at him. "No we're good. We drove here."

Skye looked up at Pogue, his face etched with a hint of worry. She let go of his hand and stood on her tip toes to kiss him on the cheek. "We'll be fine. You guys should get out of here." She said then left him to say goodbye to the others.

Pogue revelled in the feel of Skye's slightly parted soft lips on his cheek. Her warm breath causing chills to run down his spine. She was intoxicating. He would never have though that something as simple and innocent as a kiss on the cheek could have such an effect on him, yet when she pulled away, he felt himself wanting more.

They'd begun to make their way to the car when Annie remembered she had Tyler's jacket.

She ran back to him and was about to take it off when he stopped her. "Why don't you hold on to that? You look like you need it more than I do" He laughed noticing the way her slender frame quivered with each passing breeze.

She wasn't going to refuse. It meant they had a reason to see each other again…soon.

* * *

><p>So that's chapter 3...I'm thinking Selena Gomez as Alex?<p>

What do you think?

I did this chapter in the sapce of a day so my apologies if it isn't as good as the other two. I wanted to get it outta the way coz I have exams in 2 weeks so chapter 4 may take a while.

Anyways thats my semi-rant over.

Please R&R!

Until next time...  
>Siran :)<p> 


	4. Chapter 4: Special

FINALLY! Here's chapter 4!

Just a quick and massive **THANK YOU** to everyone who's taken the time out to read this fic, put it on alert and favourite it! You guys are stars! We've hit the 700 mark!

BOOYAH! :D

Okay…I'll leave you alone now!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Apart from my OC's and the story line.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 4: Special<span>

"Well tonight's been…eventful." Annie started as she got into the passenger seat and shut the door behind her. "What's with that Aaron guy?"

Skye sighed at the pale blonde. "Oh c'mon, you and I both know every school needs its quintessential douche bag."

Annie chuckled sleepily. "Yeah, I would know, I dated ours."

They both laughed and fell into a comfortable silence before Annie drifted off to sleep, leaving Skye alone with only her thoughts to keep her company.

The drive home was taking longer than she would've thought, even without so much as a car passing them by, but she didn't mind. The freedom of the open road was always something that appealed to her, it's probably why she liked running so much…literally and figuratively.

* * *

><p>Skye's eyelids fluttered open, but instead of the usual bright light that streamed in through her windows, she was met with darkness…complete and utter darkness. She shifted her body to get up but something pushed her back down. Her head hit a pillow and she felt a heavy weight being placed on top of her. Instantly, her heart beat increased and she strained her eyes, trying to figure out where she was and what was happening. Her fright or flight instincts were beginning to kick in. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out.<p>

A distant murmur was all she could hear. Someone was calling out to her. "Skye...Skye..."

She willed herself to get up or respond somehow, but her efforts proved useless. All she could do was lay there.

"Skye…Skye!" The voice persisted. "WAKE UP!"

Her eyelids flew open and she gasped in shock, jumping at the sight of four very different sets of eyes staring down at her. She landed on the floor next to her bed with a 'thud'.

All four of them burst out laughing at a drowsy looking Skye, attempting to lift herself of the floor, wearing only a superman tank top and black hot-pants.

Tyler blushed slightly and went to help her up. "Don't!" She said, raising her index finger to stop him.

Meanwhile, Annie having heard the commotion came waltzing into the room. "Hey, is everything okay? I heard…" But she lost her chain of thought when she noticed her all too revealing best friend sitting on the floor. "Um…you might wanna put some clothes on…and why are you on the floor?"

Skye just stared at her questioningly, not bothering to answer her. Clothes? She looked down at what she was wearing and shrieked at the sight. She was practically in her underwear. "Out! All of you, now!"

The five of them retreated out of the room and turned around to see the door being slammed in their faces by a very annoyed looking Skye.

Annie reached over and smacked Tyler on the head as he was the closest. "I asked you guys to do one thing!"

Reid snickered at Tyler rubbing his head then shrugged his shoulders innocently. "What? You said to wake her, and that's what we did."

She eyed each of the boys sternly before stomping of back to the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Skye had been staring at her reflection in the mirror for the past fifteen minutes. It'd been a month since she last had that dream, she thought they'd stopped. Even though she couldn't admit it without having to explain herself, she was grateful to the boys for waking her up when they did. She knew all too well how that dream ended and it wasn't something she was willing to put herself through again. Once was too much…even for a lifetime.<p>

An hour later, she finally succeeded in pulling herself together. She walked into the kitchen wearing a green oversized t-shirt and the same shorts from the night before.

Kate was standing at the stove, frying what looked to be a smorgasbord of meat. "Morning Hun."

Skye just smiled at her mother then grabbed a bowl of fruit and sat down at the end of the kitchen table, away from her friends. Even though she was some what grateful to them, she was also sure that the fall had left a bruise on her ass, or at least that's what it felt like.

She ate her breakfast in silence and winced at the sight of all the meat that Kate had placed in front of the guys and Annie. "Seriously, it's only 10:30. How much can you eat?"

Caleb chuckled as he chewed on a piece of bacon. "We just finished swim practice when you're mom called so we came straight over."

Annie raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. "No kidding. Skye swims too."

Reid smirked at this. "Guess all our efforts finally paid of then boys."

Skye scoffed. "You're efforts? You pushed me in the lake and left me there to fend for myself!"

"Still worked didn't it?" Pogue asked cockily.

She crossed her arms in front of her in annoyance. "Shut up and eat your meat."

Kate walked over and gave Skye the pancakes she'd just made. "Now, now children, play nicely." She said sarcastically.

Pogue looked at Skye eating her pancakes and smiled knowingly. "Lemme guess? Vegetarian?"

"Was." She answered. "The doctor said I wasn't getting enough protein in my diet so I'm back to eating poultry and fish."

They all nodded in understanding before Kate came over again with a piece of paper in hand. "Skye honey, would you mind going into town to pick up some things? I thought we'd have a barbeque tonight and invite everybody over. I'd ask your dad but he's at a golf game."

She nodded and took the shopping list from her mother. "Anyone wanna come?" She asked the five at the other end of the table?

Pogue shrugged his shoulders casually. "Got nothing better to do."

Skye gestured in mock enthusiasm. "That's the spirit!"

Kate rolled her eyes and laughed. "Just remember to be back by 4, I'm gonna need some help."

"Yes ma'am." They all said in unison, and then made their way out to the cars.

* * *

><p>Once they were in town, the group split up. Annie couldn't bare the thought of grocery shopping with Skye so when Tyler offered to show her around, she practically jumped at the chance. Reid and Caleb had gone to meet Alex and Sarah at Nicky's, leaving Pogue to keep Skye company.<p>

"You know, you don't have to tag along, right?" She said to him as they walked around aimlessly.

He smirked at her. "Yeah, coz being a third or fifth wheel sounds so much more appealing."

"Touché." She acknowledged. "Um…so I was thinking…since we've got a couple of hours to spare before we need to get back…"

He chuckled at her nervousness. "Where to?" He asked.

She grabbed his hand and led him in the direction of the place she'd been itching to go since she got back.

Pogue looked at the excitement plastered on Skye's face as they stood outside the old 60's looking ice-cream parlour, and couldn't help smiling. It was like the happiness she radiated was infectious. "Joe's?" He asked skeptically.

She ignored his tone and pulled him inside.

The interior looked…newer, but it still had that homely feel that Skye loved so much. She scanned the room for the familiar face of the greying old man but Joe seemed to be otherwise absent. Sadness hit her, was he…?

"He sold it." She heard Pogue say and relief immediately took over. "About 5 years ago, said he was getting to old to run the place. He's up in Boston now with his daughter and her family"

She was disappointed not to see the older man's friendly face again but at least he wasn't…you know...dead. "It was nice of whoever bought it not to change the name."

Pogue laughed. "Don't think they'd be allowed to change it even if they wanted to. This place holds a lot of memories for people."

She knew all to well what he meant. They took a seat in one of the booths at the very back of the room and a waitress came over with two menus, but Pogue shook his head at her. "We'll have a Rocky Road and Blueberry Swirl please."

"Coming right up." She said, scribbling down their order on her notepad then walking away.

Skye raised an eyebrow at her friend. "You remember?"

"You'd be surprised." He said coyly then winked at her.

She felt her cheeks begin to flush slightly and tucked her hair behind her ear. What was she supposed to say to that? Luckily she didn't have to think about it for very long. The waitress was making her way back over to them with a tray in hand…saved by the ice-cream!

"Mmmm." Skye moaned in delight at the first spoon of her Blueberry Swirl.

Pogue chuckled at her. "That good, huh?"

"9 years and nothing in London ever measured up to this." She explained.

He took another bite of his Rocky Road and nodded. "Speaking of London…how was it?"

"Amazing." She replied instantly. "…I tried to hate it at first but people there lead such a different way of life…it was hard not to get caught up in it."

"Then why'd you leave?" He asked, slightly reserved.

Skye wasn't prepared for this. She stared into his deep hazel eyes and tried to honest. "Because…as amazing as it was…it would never be my home." It wasn't everything, but it was still the truth.

* * *

><p>"God, its beautiful here." Annie said softly to no one in particular as she breathed in the warm air. "When Skye used to describe this place, I always thought it was too good to be true…I see what she meant now."<p>

She and Tyler were currently sat on a bench beside the lake in the park. "How long have you two been friends?" He asked, smiling at the serene expression on her face.

Annie chuckled at the memories flowing through her mind. "Almost 9 years. I moved there just a few months before she did. It was tough at first…even though London wasn't to different to the Upper East Side…some kids still didn't take too kindly to my accent, but then Skye came along. She literally knocked out this older kid who was teasing me about being a 'Yank'…blah blah blah, we've been best friends ever since. Guess I have you guys to thank for that…if it weren't for her being such a tomboy, who knows if we'd have still become friends."

Tyler's smile widened. "So what made you move back?"

Her smile faltered a little bit. "We've been through Hell and back together, and as sad as it may seem…I can't picture my life without her in it…you know I'm an only child, and don't get me wrong, I love my parents, but their work meant that they were always traveling, so when I wasn't in school, I spent most of my holiday's with Skye and her parents…they became like my second family."

Tyler was a bit taken aback by Annie's honesty, but it was also refreshing. She was definitely one of a kind. "Well, I'm glad you're here." He said earnestly.

"Thanks…this place is growing on me more and more each day." She said, staring straight into his baby blue eyes.

* * *

><p>It was almost 14:30 and Pogue was busy pushing the shopping cart around the local supermarket while Skye scanned the isles for the items on the list. It was a little to domestic for his taste, but also completely worth it, he thought as he watched the brunette struggle to reach something on the top shelf.<p>

She was a stubborn one. Seeing Pogue just standing there all…perfect, looking way to amused for his own good made her even more determined to reach the box of cake mix. She huffed in frustration and blew away a loose strand of hair that was dangling across her face. She stood on her tiptoes once again and extended her arm just a little bit further, lifting her top up in the process.

Pogue caught a glimpse of black ink on the smooth skin of her lower abdomen and his curiosity got the better of him. He edged forward to get a better look but Skye snapped her head in his direction when she saw him approaching and looked at him expectantly. "Well?"

A smirk graced his face. He stood in front of her, dangerously close and raised his hand to grab the box. "All you had to do was ask." He whispered into her ear as he lowered his hand back down. She could smell his intoxicating aftershave and feel his warm breath running down her neck. It left her at a loss for words. Her chest began to rise and fall just a bit faster and she could feel the butterflies beginning to take over her insides. She could have sworn she saw him beginning to lean in but the sound of something falling interrupted…whatever it was that they were doing.

Skye looked at the old man with the walking stick who had dropped the few groceries that he'd been carrying and went over to help him. "Here, lemme get that." She said, bending down to pick up his things.

Yet again Pogue caught sight of more ink, this time on her lower back, but she had gotten back up before he had the chance to see more…How many did she have?

"Thank you sweetheart." The old man said after he'd taken the items from Skye. He gave her one last smile then turned to Pogue and winked at him. "She's a keeper." He said before exiting the store.

"Kill me now!" She mouthed with her back turned to Pogue, still facing the direction of the stores exit. She heard him clear his throat and spun on her heel to see him rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Was Pogue Parry blushing?

"Um…You know…I think we've got everything," She said, swiftly walking past him towards the cashier with the shopping cart. "Let's get outta here."

He followed behind quietly and helped her unload the contents of the cart. They were just about finished when they both reached for the same thing. Pogue's hand slid over Skye's, but to his surprise, she didn't pull away…well not immediately. She just looked at him for a second and smiled reassuringly before retracting her hand.

"Yup…the old guys right." He thought as they made their way out of the store.

* * *

><p>"Mom we're back." Skye announced as she, Annie, Tyler and Pogue walked in through the front door carrying numerous grocery bags. Caleb and Reid had wanted to spend some more time with Alex and Sarah, but promised to return soon with the girls in toe.<p>

"We're in the kitchen." They heard Kate say.

Skye looked at her friend's curiously. "We?" She questioned. Jake wasn't due back for another hour and there weren't any other cars in the front yard, so who could it be?

Upon entering the kitchen, they noticed a stunning brunette sitting at the kitchen counter with a mug in hand, and beside her, an older looking version of the 20 something.

Pogue rolled his eyes at them while Skye dropped the bags she'd been carrying onto the nearest table and ran to the two women. "Sammy!" She shouted in excitement as she hugged the younger one.

Samantha Parry was Pogue's older sister by 8 years. She was also Skye's go-to girl growing up and always stuck up for her when she felt that the boys were being too assertive. "Oh my gosh, dude look at you! You've got boobs…you're hot!"

Elizabeth Parry laughed at her daughters words. "I think what she means to say is that you've turned into quite the young woman." She said cupping Skye's face in her hands affectionately.

She blushed and smiled shyly. "Thank you Aunt Liz."

Her eyes then traveled from the older women's face to Sam's left hand. "What is that?" She unconsciously shouted with her eyes popping out of their sockets in the process.

Sam brought her hand up to flash in front of Skye's face. "What...Oh you mean this?" She asked, wiggling her engagement finger.

Skye pulled it in closer for a better look. It was beautiful. Simple band with a round cut diamond that was by far the biggest she'd ever seen in real life. "What is he, a prince?"

She laughed and the happiness was evident in her eyes. "As good as thank you very much! He dropped us off here a while ago but should be back later. I can't wait for you to meet him."

Kate having remained silent the entire time cleared her throat to catch her daughters' attention. "Skye honey, aren't you forgetting something."

She looked at her mother for a minute before realizing what she meant. She was so surprised at seeing Sam and Liz, not to mention Sam's huge ring that she completely forgot about the four other people in the room. "Oh yeah, I completely spaced, sorry. Um, Aunt Liz, Sam, this is my best friend Annie."

Annie shook the two women's hands politely. "Hi, I've heard a lot about you. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Wish I could say the same about you but I guess _someone's _letters must have gotten lost in the mail." Sam said, looking at Skye accusingly.

The younger brunette looked playfully offended. "Hey! I believe that's a two way street!"

They were about to get into it when Kate interrupted again. "Maybe you should go freshen up, everyone will be here soon."

"I thought you needed help." She enquired.

"That's okay, we've got it covered." Liz said, winking at her.

Skye shrugged her shoulders and grabbed Annie, tearing her away from Tyler's baby blues and dragging her upstairs with her.

Once they were in her room, Annie began ruffling through her clothes and came across a blue summer dress she hadn't worn before, though she wasn't fully convinced with it yet. She turned around to see Skye eyeing her maxi dress in the same way. They looked at each other and smiled. "Trade?" Annie suggested.

They were lucky enough to be the same size, though Annie was about 3 inches taller than her best friend. Once they were satisfied with their attire, they made their way back downstairs.

Annie caught Skye smiling out of the corner of her eye just before they entered the kitchen and nudged the brunette slightly. "I know that look." She stated quietly.

Skye shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Funny…was just about to say that same about you."

The blonde linked her arm through Skye's as they walked back into the room. "I won't tell if you don't." She whispered to her coyly then gave her a wink before they were both pulled away by different people.

* * *

><p>The prying eyes of her mother and fathers colleagues were beginning to get to her. She'd been dragged from person to person for the last two hours, barely even catching a glimpse of one of her friends. Wasn't this meant to be a small gathering?<p>

Shaking hands and putting on a polite smile was one thing, but being passed around like a prized trophy was where she drew the line. She'd literally been by Kate's side the entire night, becoming reacquainted with familiar faces and meeting new ones.

Sure, it might not sound that bad, but when most of those new faces are middle aged parents who won't stop droning on about 'my sons' studying architecture' or how 'you two should really meet', it gets old…fast!

Kate seemed to be enjoying all the mundane chatter, Jake on the other hand felt his daughters' pain, but he hadn't seen his wife looking so happy in the longest of time, and that alone held him back from rescuing Skye.

The night went on and Skye finally managed to slip away from her mother, and there was only one thing on her mind…alcohol. She snuck up to the cabinet containing her parent's secret stash and spotted a bottle of vodka- it would have to do. She peered around to make sure no one was watching and reached for the transparent bottle only to have it snatched away by someone else. She prepared herself for the disappointed look of her father but was met with the mischievous grin of Reid Garwin. Skye was so pleased to see one of her friends, she practically jumped on him. "Oh thank God!" She said in relief.

He just laughed and led her to the back yard with his free hand.

Under a navy blue sky covered in a blanket of stars, sat her friends, each with a bottle in hand…the lucky shits! They'd been outside, sitting on the deck chairs overlooking the lake the entire night, while she was stuck inside having her ears talked off. Couldn't they have rescued her sooner?

"Look who I found." The blond boy said twirling Skye around. He might have already been slightly intoxicated…then again, it was Reid- hard to tell.

"Gimme that." She said, grabbing the bottle from him and placing herself in between Tyler and Caleb. "You guys are the worst friends ever. Do you have any idea what I've just been through? If I have to hear one more person talk about their _perfect _life, with their _perfect _kids and their _perfect _white fucking picket fence, I _will…_shoot myself!" She took a swig of the vodka and everyone just stared at her.

When no one spoke, she took it as her cue to take another drink, but Tyler pulled the bottle away from her. "Okay, I think that's enough."

She shot him a deathly glare but settled on pouting when it didn't look like he was going to budge.

Caleb chuckled and put his arm around her shoulder. "Trust me, you'll thank him for it in the morning."

She furrowed her eyebrows at him and out of the corner of her eye, I distant light caught her attention. She squinted to try and get a better look but still couldn't make out what it was. She got up and started walking in its direction, not bothering to tell anyone where she was going.

"Eeer…Skye?" Annie asked as the brunette walked past her, ignoring the confused look on her pale face.

"I'll be right back." Was all she said as she picked up the pace.

As she got closer, the light became more visible and finally she could make it out. It was the attic on the fourth floor. She hadn't been up there since the time she was eight and slipped through one of the floor boards. Jake was so worried that he barred her and anyone else from ever going up there again. It always puzzled him why she liked that dusty old room so much. Little did he know that it was never the room that kept her going back all those years.

* * *

><p>Skye had been gone for well over twenty minutes and Pogue was beginning to worry, although he didn't let it show, or so he liked to think. "Think I'll go check on her." He announced getting up.<p>

No one else seemed to be bothered but as he walked away, Alex, Sarah and Annie shared a look that went unnoticed by the three other boys sitting beside them.

Pogue had no idea where he was going. For the most part, he knew his way around the Ryan's estate pretty well but trying to trace the direction Skye had gone in was proving to be difficult. He came to a stop at the tall, old tree that marked the furthest end of the house, but there was no sign of her anywhere. She couldn't have gone back- he'd have seen her…so where was she? The worry lines on Pogue's face were now in full force.

"Pssst…Hey." He heard the all too familiar call of Skye's voice. He looked around again, becoming increasingly annoyed that he still couldn't spot her.

She finally put him out of his misery. "Pssst…Up here!" She whispered more hastily.

He looked up to see a gleeful Skye, swinging her legs from the branch she was currently perched on. The image reminded him of their childhood.

"Well…you coming up or what?" She asked playfully.

He stared at her in disbelief. Did she want him to die at the tender age of 17? "Eeer…how?"

She indicated to the set of vines that draped the side of the house and he let out a nervous chuckle. "You're kidding me right?"

Skye merely shrugged her shoulders at him. "Fine, suit yourself." She said, getting up and balancing on the branch to move to a better spot.

"Wait! Just…give me a minute." He insisted, not wanting her to leave.

After a few rough starts, he finally managed to make it all the way up the strong vines and was surprised to see a small balcony tucked away in the corner of the roof. He grabbed onto the railings and pulled himself onto it.

He was in the process of catching his breath when he noticed the circular window beside him. He peered into it but the sound of Skye's voice made him jump. "Took you long enough."

He turned around to see her making her way over to him across a branch that led to the balcony. She hopped off with a smug smile plastered on her face.

"I don't remember ever being up here." He stated.

"Probably 'cause I never told anyone about it…" She replied.

She turned away from him and settled her eyes on the breath taking view her little hiding place came with. Pogue on the other hand chose to stare at her happily. "So what makes me so special then?" He asked, moving to stand beside her.

The warm bare skin of his toned, muscled arm made contact with her and she immediately felt goose-bumps erupting. She turned her face and stared him right in the eyes. "…A lot of things." She answered nervously.

He couldn't help himself. The way she was looking at him and the feel of her skin against his was driving him crazy. Without thinking, he brought his hand up to cup her face, and when she didn't pull away, he leaned his head in ever so slowly and watched as her eyelids closed, and her lips parted slightly, preparing herself for what came next.

He stared at her flawless features for a second before tilting his head slightly, a smile forming on his lips before they finally made contact with hers.

(To be continued...)

* * *

><p>Thoughts? :)<p>

My deepest apologies about the ending! It's taken ages to finish this chapter and by the time I reached the end, my inspiration was running low, so the next chapter will sort of be a continuation of this one...or something like that. :-|

Can you tell the exam stress is getting to me?

BTW...Sam = Natalie Portman

Anyways I hope you liked it!

Until next time...  
>Siran :)<p> 


	5. Chapter 5: Paranoia & Ink

*****So...I've made some very slight changes which you probably won't even notice. Skye's birthday (now 5th July 1988) and the year is 2005 (17 years later) as it didn't make sense for Skye to be turning 18 within the first two months of her senior year.

That's it...I think :|

So...YAYY for Chapter 5!

Anyways R&R please! Hope you like it! :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Apart from my OC's and the story line.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 5: Paranoia &amp; Ink<span>

His lips were soft…softer than she would have ever expected. They moved in perfect unison with hers. The kiss was slow at first. He cupped her face with both his hands and with the pads of his thumbs, stroked her cheek ever so gently, as if she were a porcelain doll that would crumble under the slightest amount of pressure. She moved her hands from his sides and brought them up to curl around his neck, affectively giving her a bit more height as she stood on her tip toes to deepen the kiss. He in turn wrapped his strong arms around her slender waist to support her weight, tightly pressing their bodies against each other, resultantly nullifying any space that existed between them. She bit down on his bottom lip slightly, grazing her teeth against it and released a soft moan that was like music to his ears. Something inside of him exploded and he felt a tugging sensation coming from his chest as he backed her up against the attic window. She didn't even care that it was uncomfortable. All she could think of at that moment was how perfect everything felt. Alas…it was only a matter of time until one of them would have to come up for air, no matter how hard they tried to fight it.

Skye pulled away to take in a much needed breath of air and immediately regretted it. The loss of contact between their lips left her feeling some what empty and light headed. She hadn't opened her eyes yet, but didn't need to, to feel Pogue's intense stare weighing down on her. He still had his body pressed up against hers and could feel every rise and fall of her chest that came with the heavy rhythm of her pounding heart beat. Her eyelids flew open at the touch of his thumb on her flushed skin, leaving behind an electrifying trail as he moved it down from her cheek to her neck, then along her exposed collarbone. He literally was breathtaking.

Pogue looked down at her fragile figure as she shivered with each passing breeze. He enveloped her in a warm embrace and planted a light kiss on her forehead. She snuggled into his chest and he couldn't help thinking that she fit perfectly against him.

"You're beautiful." He said into her ear, barely above a whisper.

She'd been called that dozens of times before, but only by guys who wanted nothing more than to get in her pants. However seeing the trust in Pogue's eyes and hearing the sincerity in his voice…it made her believe him, and for Skye, that was a difficult feat to accomplish.

* * *

><p>"So…you and Pogue huh?" Annie asked suggestively, sitting on the floor of Skye's room as they attempted to pack all their worldly possessions into boxes ready to be moved into their dorm rooms within the next couple of days.<p>

"What about us?" Skye asked casually, refusing to look her best friend in the eye. It was the morning after the kiss. She and Pogue had agreed that they wouldn't tell anyone about it just yet. After the initial excitement wore off, they were both at a loss as to what to make of it.

Annie rolled her eyes at her. "Oh come on! You two were gone for a long time last night…plus I've seen the way you look at each other."

Damn Annie and her insufferable need for romance and gossip. There was no telling how long she'd take to let this one go. She had an uncanny ability for finding out the truth. But nevertheless, Skye figured she'd humour her. "You know what…you caught me. I should have known I can't hide anything from you. Truth is…something _did _happen last night…we…had sex! Pure unadulterated sex, right then and there, all over the bug infested grass…It was…beautiful! Well there you go, you know everything now…Gosh it feels so much better now that I've got that off my chest!"

Annie was staring at her with a blank expression. "You finished?" She asked seriously.

"Why, you want the dirty details to?" Skye asked alluringly.

The blonde reached for the nearest object and threw it at her in annoyance.

Skye avoided the shot and looked at Annie in surprise. "Wow…you must really be desperate. You just threw a Jimmy Choo at me!" She said picking up the black strappy sandal and going over to the angry blonde. "Look, just trust me…If there was something worth telling, you'd be the first to know!"

Annie looked at her for a second before huffing in acceptance. "Fine…"

Skye was pleased…although she wouldn't really deem her kiss with Pogue as 'not worth telling'. If things were set in stone then she would have already told Annie by now, but they weren't, so she'd just have to keep quiet about it…for now anyways. It really wasn't worth jinxing.

* * *

><p>It was an usually hot day for the residents of Ipswich, with temperatures reaching just below 90 degrees Fahrenheit.<p>

Skye and Annie had just finished up their packing and were in desperate need of some lemonade when they entered the kitchen to see Sam and Kate flipping through the pages of bridal magazines and jotting things down on their notepads.

"Hey, when did you get here?" Skye asked Sam whilst looking through the fridge.

"Bout 20 minutes ago. Your mom has graciously offered to help me plan the wedding." She beamed at her.

Kate chuckled. "Oh sweetie, it's nothing really. In fact, I should be thanking you! We've been back four days now and I'm already bored. I had a job back in London and I just don't know what to do with all free time now."

Sam placed a comforting hand on top of Kate's and smiled at her appreciatively. "Well if anyone can make this wedding happen in a month, it's you!"

Skye nearly choked on her lemonade. "A month! Didn't you just get engaged?"

The older brunette laughed at her reaction. "It's not like I've only just met him. We've been together for 2 years…And there's that minor detail of him leaving for Germany in 48 days." She added sourly.

"What? Why?" Annie asked surprised.

"Business trip…he'll be gone for 6 months and honestly, if I have to wait that long to become Mrs. Adam Reynolds…I'll go crazy!" She replied frustrated.

Annie and Skye both looked slightly confused. "Why aren't you going with him?" The latter asked.

"I want to…I really do…it's just that after busting my ass at that dusty old firm for the past 4 years, I've finally been promoted! Adam understands that and supports my decision to stay…which makes me feel even worse…but…it's only six months. Hopefully I'll be so swamped with cases that it'll go by in no time!"

The two girls looked at Sam warmly. They admired her commitment to her job but also felt terrible for her. "Well…seems like you're gonna need all the help you can get so…how can we be off service to you madam?" Skye asked enthusiastically, playfully taking Sam's hand and curtsying.

They all laughed and Sam rolled her eyes. "Don't you two have dorms to be moving into?"

"Not for a few days." Annie stated quickly. "And we were being serious about that offer for help!"

Sam shook her head knowingly then widened her eyes, a sly smile creeping onto her face. "Actually…there is something you can do for me…"

Annie and Skye looked from each other to Kate nervously, hoping she could save them before it's too late. Bride-to-be's were notorious for their behaviour. Their only hope now was that they hadn't bit of more than they could chew.

* * *

><p>"Come again?" the two teenagers asked Sam, slightly taken aback by her recent question.<p>

"Would you like to be my bridesmaids?" She repeated.

Annie looked at the older brunette hesitantly. "Thank you, really…but shouldn't you ask someone…oh I don't know…who you've known for more than a day?"

"I know it's a surprise but with it being nearly the end of summer and the wedding being such short notice, most people are away on holiday and won't be back for a while. My best friend Lucy has already agreed to be maid of honour and I need two other girls to partner Adam's brothers. Please…there's no one else I'd really rather consider." She replied desperately.

Skye found herself giving in at the pleading look on Sam's face. "Are you sure? I mean what about family…cousins? Aunts? You can't really tell me there's no one else."

"Yes! That's exactly what I'm trying to say! I'd rather have a complete stranger be part of my wedding than any of those snobs you call my 'family'. You know what they were like when we were growing up! Plus I've known you my whole life…even though you were gone for so long, it feel like you never left! And as for Annie…well to be perfectly honest, she's left a better impression on me in the one day that I've known her than any of my family have in my almost 26 years of existence! So what do you say?" Sam asked again, slightly out of breath after that rant.

Kate gave the girls that 'just say yes' look and they eventually nodded. Sam hopped of the seat and hugged both of them tightly before returning to the bridal magazines, flipping through the pages at a more feverish pace this time.

* * *

><p>The heat was beginning to take its toll on the girls. Having spent the last 9 years in a country where temperatures reached 75 degrees at most, they found themselves desperately searching for those elusive swimsuits that were only ever put to use on rare occasions.<p>

Annie scavenged around her suitcases frantically but still came up short. "Seriously? How hard can it be to find a bikini?"

They'd decided that moping around the house, consuming everything cold in sight wasn't doing enough to ease the overwhelming effects of heat shock that they were currently experiencing.

"Forget it!" Skye huffed in frustration. "We'll just stop in town and look for some. We're gonna have to pass by there to get to the lake anyway."

Annie nodded in agreement. "Fine, I'll go grab our stuff and meet you by the car."

After she departed the room, Skye made a break for her phone, though when she picked it up, paranoia set in. She contemplated calling Pogue and suggesting that he and the guys join them at the lake, but the nauseating feeling in the pit of her stomach stopped her from doing so. What if Pogue regretted the kiss? What if he doesn't feel the same way? The thoughts were enough to make her head spin, but she soon shook it off…Fuck that. No way was she willing to deal with that right now. She scrolled down the list of contacts on her phone, passing Pogue's and stopping at Sarah's.

"Hello?" the small blonde answered politely.

"Hey Sarah. It's Skye. Annie and I are heading over to Mills Lake. Why don't you and Alex come meet us? She asked hopefully.

"Yeah sure, sounds good. I dropped my car off at the shop this morning so we'll have to catch a cab. What time do you wanna meet?" Sarah asked, smiling down her end of the phone.

"Just stay put and we'll come get you in…20 minutes." Skye replied, looking at her watch.

"Sure thing, see you soon." She said before cutting the call.

Skye grabbed the keys to her fathers Range Rover and said goodbye to Kate and Sam, both of whom still had their heads buried in magazines. She exited the front door to see Annie impatiently tapping her foot beside the passenger door. "Oh relax! I was on the phone to Sarah. We're picking her and Alex up from Spencer."

Annie's face seemed to brighten at the mention of their roommates names. "Does that mean the guys are coming too?" She asked, trying to appear casual, but Skye saw straight through it.

"Don't know…didn't ask." She replied quickly, wanting to avoid all talk of 'the guys'…or one in particular.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, the girls pulled up into a vacant parking space in the middle of town and headed in the direction of the nearest clothing store. Annie swiftly scanned the rails of swimwear for something suitable to wear.<p>

Skye shook her head knowingly at the look on the leggy blondes face. She was too picky for her own good. "Weren't you the one who didn't want to waste time? Hurry up and pick something already!" Skye said, having already purchased and changed into a frilly white bikini, courtesy of the stores fitting rooms, with her denim shorts and tank top over it.

25 minutes and 8 bikinis' later, Annie finally made her mind up. "It's not perfect…but it'll have to do." She said, pulling her t-shirt over the black bandeau covering her chest.

Skye just rolled her eyes and gestured for her to leave the store, before she got the chance to change her mind again. "Can we go? We've been here so long, Alex and Sarah must have bought half the pharmacy by now!"

Annie paid the cashier and wrinkled her face at Skye. They walked over to the pharmacy where the two other girls had gone to stock up on sun screen and magazines. As they neared the little building, they noticed the petite figures of their roommates being towered over by three guys. They had their backs turned to them but that didn't stop Skye from recognising the one to their right straight away. His longish light brown hair and immensely broad shoulders were a dead give away. If it were anyone else, she would have thought nothing of it, but Pogue's choice of clothing took Skye by surprise. He was sporting a pair of bright blue Hawaiian board shorts, a muscle hugging white t-shirt and flip flops…Okay, maybe it was just the shorts, but they certainly didn't match the broody demeanour he tried so hard to attain.

"Hey, there you are!" Sarah said cheerily, waving them over and snapping Skye out of her thoughts.

She caught Pogue's eye but looked away immediately, not wanting to suffer through the awkward glances. "Yeah…remind me never to take Annie shopping again." She said matter-of-factly.

However the pale blonde was too preoccupied with staring at Tyler's face to even hear what she'd said. Skye nudged her before anyone else could notice her otherwise distracted state. "Huh? What?" Annie asked, breaking contact with the piercing baby blues staring back at her.

Reid raised an eyebrow at the both of them but Skye interrupted just as he opened his mouth to say something. "Eeer…where's Caleb?"

"Inside…he's picking up some things for his mom" Pogue answered. Great…so much for avoiding eye contact.

"I invited the boys to come along as well, hope that's okay." Alex said slightly hesitantly.

Skye smiled. "Of course it is, but we should probably get going or it'll be packed by the time we get there."

The group were about to part ways to their designated vehicles when Caleb walked out of the pharmacy and straight into Sarah. "Oh hey, sorry about that."

"No, its okay…I probably shouldn't've been standing in front of the door." She said, beaming at him.

They stayed like that for a minute- just looking at each other, until someone cleared their throat.

Sarah turned her head and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear shyly. Caleb chuckled and noticed her cheeks begin to colour. "Um…I've gotta drop some stuff off at home before I head to the lake…You mind running errands?" He asked her, jumping at the idea of spending some alone time with her.

She turned her head quickly to look at Skye, silently asking permission from her. She wanted to go with him but also felt bad about ditching the girls. Skye gave her a small wink and her smile grew wider, if that were at all possible…the girl would be a perfect spokes model for Colgate. So would Caleb by the looks of it…they'd make cute babies …with perfect teeth…

Skye furrowed her eyebrows at the thoughts passing through her mind. Scary thing was…they were probably on the more 'normal' side of all the things she's had to fathom.

"Skye!" Annie shouted, waving her hand in front of her face.

"Yeah…oh sorry, let's go." She said, shaking her head as she walked towards the drivers' seat of her car.

"Actually…Alex and I are gonna catch a ride with Tyler and Reid…I mean if that's alright with you?" Annie asked, biting her lip nervously.

Skye let out a forced laugh. Seriously?...She should have seen this coming...traitors! "Yeah sure, I'll see you guys there." She said, turning to Pogue and throwing her hands up in frustration before putting on her glasses so her view of him wouldn't be distorted by the suns rays. "You gonna abandon me too? Coz a heads up would be nice…you know, gives me a little more time to digest the fact that I'm unloved." She announced sarcastically, unaware that everyone else had already left.

A grin formed on his face as he walked past her and up to the driver side door, holding it open for her. "Shut up and drive."

She stared at him with a blank expression before getting in, glad that he couldn't see her eyes beneath the dark glasses. They would have given away the lingering looks she sent him as he stood there, leaned up against the door with his perfectly sculpted muscles exposed in his tight t-shirt. "…always the gentleman." She muttered under her breath, a smile threatening to betray her calm exterior as he closed her door and came to sit next to her in the passengers' seat.

* * *

><p>Skye squirmed irritably on the hot leather of her seat as she and Pogue sat in silence, en route to Mills Lake. The skin on her back and thighs felt sticky and damp from perspiration, and every time she shifted, it just made it worse. She took one hand off the steering wheel to run along the back of her neck, feeling a bead of sweat drip down. She felt the urge to reach for her water bottle and pour it all over herself, but that wouldn't bode well for the car…or the guy sitting next to her.<p>

"Argh this is ridiculous! Here, take the wheel." She said looking at him expectantly.

"What?" He asked surprised.

"Take the wheel!" She replied frustrated.

Pogue grabbed onto the steering wheel just as Skye let go of it to tie her long wavy hair up into a ponytail.

She sighed in relief as she felt a cool breeze run down the exposed, glistening skin on her neck. "Thanks." She said, indicating for him to remove his hands.

He starred at her in disbelief. The heat must have really been getting to her. "Yeah, no problem. It's not like I wanna live to see tomorrow anyways." He said teasingly.

Skye rolled her eyes at him. "Oh stop being such a baby! We're fine, plus there are hardly any other cars on the road."

"Lucky for them." He mumbled to himself.

They fell back into an awkward silence, with every minute that passed feeling like an hour. Pogue wanted to bring up the kiss but wasn't sure how Skye would react. If she wanted to talk about it, they probably would have by now. But he couldn't see them having another opportunity like this, where they'd be alone and away from the curiosity of everyone else. He chanced a glance at her, still contemplating the best way to go about this. "So…" He said, blurting out the first thing that crept into his mind, obviously not having much to work with.

Skye was startled by the sound of his deep voice and jumped slightly. Shit…she knew where this was going and she couldn't help feeling that south was their option. "Yeah?..."

"Look, about last night-" He started but Skye quickly interrupted. "You know what, its okay. We don't have to talk about it." She said, wanting to avoid the pending rejection.

"So that's it? We just pretend like it never happened?" He asked, slightly hurt.

Skye was confused. That certainly wasn't the reaction she was expecting. She was mentally preparing herself for a sigh of relief and the old "let's just be friends" line, but instead she was met with a disbelieving looking Pogue and a puzzling question looming in the air. "Um…I mean…if that's what you want?"

"Wait what? Why would you think I want that?" He asked.

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened as she felt her insides turning. Fuck! She had completely misread everything. Fuck! "Because I'm stupid…and paranoid…and just…an idiot!" She said shaking her head guiltily, then resting it against the wheel as they came to a stop in front of a red light.

She stayed like that for a few minutes, even after the light turned green, but there were no cars behind them so he didn't stop her. Eventually, she leaned back in her seat, taking her glasses off and giving Pogue a half hearted smile. All that time spent secretly obsessing about their…'situation' was for nothing. A new sense of ease soon came over her, but she still needed reassurance…as pathetic as that may seem. "So…you don't…regret it?" She asked carefully.

Pogue shook his head. He kept going over all the things that he might have done….or didn't do to make her paranoid. Maybe he should have called…He reached over and cupped her face with his hand, bringing her face towards his and crashed his lips down onto hers. It was hard and impatient, completely opposite to their first kiss, yet still as effective. He suddenly broke away, breathing unevenly with his lips hovering above hers. "That answer your question?" He asked softly.

Skye smiled brilliantly and let out a breathy chuckle as Pogue leaned in again for another kiss which she happily accepted.

Yup…definitely shudda called.

* * *

><p>They were the last to arrive at the lake, even Sarah and Caleb who should have taken the longest time getting there showed up before them. But to their surprise, there were no smirks, suggestive questions or suspicious looks from any of their friends. Everyone seemed too distracted to even notice their flawed punctuality, so they both took it as a good thing, this way they wouldn't have to spend unnecessary amounts of time coming up with lies and excuses. Skye had been right about the place being packed and the eight of them were currently smack-dab in the middle of the other groups of people scattered around the lake.<p>

Skye spread her towel out next to Annie, who was deep in conversation with Alex about the use of fur in the fashion industry...Typical.

She kicked off her sandals and was just done removing her shorts and top when she heard Reid let out a low whistle.

"Remember Reid…you can look but you can't touch." Alex said coolly, turning over to lay flat on her back. Skye looked at her and chuckled. She had Reid wrapped around her little finger, and it wasn't just because she looked hot in a bathing suit.

Reid winked at his girlfriend then turned back to Skye. "Nice ink." He said admiring her tattoos, in particular, the one on the right side of her lower abdomen.

"Why a scorpion?" Caleb asked.

It was her first tattoo…The one she was most fond of…The one that meant the most. "Some people perceive it to be the embodiment of evil, others say it's a protective force which counters evil. It's small…misunderstood…underestimated…Why not a scorpion?" She replied thoughtfully.

"It's beautiful." Sarah said warmly.

"How many do you have?" Tyler asked, examining the Chinese symbols on her lower back, which oddly enough, she didn't find uncomfortable at all. Pogue, on the other hand, wasn't to keen on the idea, but he refrained from saying anything. There was nothing he could do about it…yet.

"Too many." Annie answered, not even looking up from her magazine.

"3…and Blondie over there has one too so she shouldn't talk." Skye said, referring to Annie.

The blonde in question shot Skye a deathly glare. "One that you practically forced me into getting! Why anyone would willingly put themselves through that much pain is beyond me!"

Reid smirked knowingly. "Crier?" He asked.

Skye snickered. "Oh you have no idea!"

"I wasn't that bad!" Annie said, defending herself.

"Please, you sobbed for 2 days straight, and it's not even that big!" Skye said to which Annie flipped her the bird in response, causing everyone to laugh.

"So…err…where is it?" Tyler asked, grinning at her.

Annie winked at him quickly before getting up and taking her top off to reveal the same Chinese symbols on her lower back that Skye had. "Hope through adversity." She said, anticipating his next question.

Caleb was beginning to become unsettled by it all, and by the look on Pogue's, he was too. No matter how little Skye and Annie made their tattoos out to be, one thing he was sure of.

No one permanently scars themselves without reason…

* * *

><p>Sooooooo...what did you all think? Please review!<p>

Next chapter will probably only be out end of this month. Yes, I'm aware of how long it is and i'm really sorry, but I've only got 2 exams left so please, bare with me!

Until next time...  
>Siran :)<p> 


	6. Chapter 6: One Stormy Night

Apologies for the extremely late update! I'm terribly sorry!

Another massive **THANK YOU **to all of you who continue to read this fic! It means alot to me! :)

Hope you enjoy it. Please R&R!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Apart from my OC's and the story line.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 6: One Stormy Night<span>

Marriage…

It's a funny thing really. People promise to honour, cherish and obey just one other person for the rest of their lives, yet in America, 40% of all marriages end in divorce.

What the hell is that about?

"Ow!" Skye whispered in discomfort after being pricked for the fifth time since getting up on the small podium to have her bridesmaids dress fitted. It was probably a good thing though. She couldn't see those kinds of thoughts going down well in a bridal store.

"Sorry, dear." The old woman said from her position below her, currently shortening her dress at the insistence of Sam.

The older brunette had chosen a chocolate brown for the bridesmaids' dresses. Sure, it wasn't the most glamorous colour in the world, but after seeing Sam's dress- an off white custom made Vera Wang with chocolate sash, it seemed to mesh just perfectly.

"Darling, don't you think the dresses are a bit…short?" Liz asked her daughter sceptically.

Sam took the thin glass of champagne offered to her by the stores manager and turned to her mother, taking a small sip before speaking. "Mom…have you seen my bridesmaids? They're hot. I'm not gonna put them in something that makes them feel anything less than that. And besides, two inches above the knee is not that short."

Liz sighed slightly then turned to the women sitting next to her on the fancy beige couch. Kate chuckled and placed an understanding hand on her friends shoulder. She agreed with her but also saw Sam's point. In the end though, it all came down to one thing. Its Sam's big day…so what Sam wants, Sam gets.

End off.

* * *

><p>"Well, that's the last of em." Jake announced as he descended the flight of stairs coming from Skye and Annie's dorm rooms. Together, he, Kate and the girls had spent the majority of their Monday morning carrying and unpacking boxes.<p>

"Thank God! Who knew we had so much stuff!" Annie said incredulously.

Jake rolled his eyes and put a comforting arm around his wife's shoulder, who looked as thought she was about to burst into tears. "Well…I guess this is it." She said, trying to hold back her tears.

Skye chuckled at her mother. "Mom…you're half an hour away tops! Plus, you'll probably be seeing Annie and I every weekend…when we bring our dirty laundry over."

The tears finally betrayed Kate's composure and the two girls wrapped the older woman in their arms. "I know, I know…it's just going to be so quiet around the house without you two."

"You still have Uncle Jake." Annie pointed out enthusiastically, to which Kate sobbed even harder.

Jake frowned and approached the three of them. "Okay, c'mon, let's go before your mother decides to take up permanent residence."

Kate swatted his arm playfully and gave the girls each one last hug before Jake stepped in to kiss them both on the forehead. "Be good…and take care of each other." He said while walking back to the car.

They waved and had just turned in the opposite direction when Jake called out to them. Skye swung her head around, her reflexes acting immediately to catch whatever her father had thrown to her. She held up the small object in her hand and revealed it to be a set of car keys. She eyed it curiously before noticing the proud looks resonating from her parents faces.

"Well?" Her mother said impatiently.

Skye looked at Annie, who had her arms crossed in front of her as if she were expecting this. "I think you're supposed to press the button." She stated innocently.

She was nervous and excited at the same time…the kind of feeling you get just before you fall asleep on Christmas Eve.

So she pressed the button and to her right, about five cars away, the lights on a brand-spanking-new white Audi TT Coupe could be seen flashing brightly, even in the sunlight.

Skye was at a loss for words. She looked at her parents who were now seated securely within the confines of their own monstrous Range Rover. Kate beamed and Jake winked at her before they finally drove away, leaving Skye to stare at their present to her in wonderment. It was only when Annie came to stand next to her that she fully grasped what had just happened. She turned to her best friend and let out that long excited scream that the blonde could see coming.

* * *

><p>Pogue hadn't been in such a good mood in a long time, and his friends were now starting to notice it too. He was losing bets and didn't even care, beating his own personal best at practice and walking around with this constant ear to ear grin on his face. It was enough to annoy Reid but Tyler and Caleb didn't say anything. If Pogue wanted to tell them if something was up, he would have by now. But that didn't stop Reid.<p>

"I say he's getting laid." Reid suggested while taking another swig of his beer.

Both Tyler and Caleb took some time to consider this but shook their heads. "Nah, he'd tell us." The latter replied.

Pogue raised an eyebrow at his friends. "…you do realise I'm sitting right here?"

"Well, you're kinda hard to miss if you ask me." They heard someone say from behind them. Pogue didn't recognise the woman's voice so he didn't bother turning around to respond. But from the look on Reid and Caleb's faces, she was either really hot or an ex.

* * *

><p>Skye spotted Tyler's Hummer amongst the crowd of flashy cars in the parking lot outside Nicky's and pulled up into the space next to it. She and Annie did a thorough inspection of the car, making sure it was locked up securely while Sarah and Alex looked on with amused expressions before they left it to join the guys inside. Yes, they may have been over doing it a bit but Skye wasn't prepared to be so casual about her gift just yet. Even if in Ipswich, you were more likely to break a nail than have your car stolen.<p>

Nicky's was unusually packed for a Monday night, probably because by now, most student would have moved into their dorms and were free to do anything they wanted to…well mostly anything.

The place was buzzing with lively chatter, music and laughter. Alex caught sight of Reid and led them toward the guys table. Skye could feel those all too familiar cartwheels in her stomach. It had been a day or two since she last saw Pogue and her thoughts immediately drifted to their first kiss. She felt her smile brighten, but it didn't stay that way for very long.

They were a couple of feet away from the guys when Skye noticed a tall dirty blonde girl leaning over Pogue suggestively. She felt a pang inside her chest, her sad thoughts quickly turning into jealous ones.

But they weren't exclusive, no matter how many times they declared their feelings towards each other, they still hadn't discussed telling anyone about it. So she tried her best to act normal, no matter how badly she wanted to rugby tackle the girl.

"Hey!" Sarah said excitedly once they'd reached the table.

Caleb stood up and kissed her lightly on the cheek, causing her fair skin to burn bright red.

Tyler pulled up a couple of chairs but Skye headed straight for the bar, not bothering to stop by the table first. No one seemed to notice though, least of all Pogue, which only made her blood boil more.

Nicky noticed the look on her face as she approached the bar. "Do I wanna know?" He asked.

She sat down on the stool wordlessly and glanced up at him. "Beer, please."

"Nice try." He sneered.

"Oh c'mon Nicky! Just one?" She pleaded.

He walked away and pulled a bottle out of the fridge. She smiled in triumph but when he placed it in front of her, she frowned. "You suck." She said, taking the bottle of coke from the counter and hopping off the stool.

Skye scanned the room for someone else to talk to or something else that would keep her way from her friend's table. Sadly, the only prospects were going back to the bar to annoy Nicky or Aaron Abbot.

She'd rather gouge her eyes out with a spoon.

* * *

><p>"Hey, where you been?" Annie asked Skye once she'd returned from the bar.<p>

She held up her drink in reply and noticed that her seat was being occupied by the dirty blonde. Pogue looked at her but she refused to make eye contact with him. "Anyone up for a game of pool?" She asked, wanting to distract herself from the fact that there was a skank currently hanging all over the guy she liked.

"Finally!" Reid said, throwing his hands up. He got up and followed Skye to a vacant pool table. While he racked the balls, Skye shrugged out of her jacket to reveal a _very _flattering black t-shirt that hugged her curves perfectly. Just as she bent down to take a shot, someone let out a low whistle.

"Piss off Aaron." Reid said, coming to stand in front of Skye.

"Aww what's wrong Reid? Not up for a lil friendly competition?" He asked condescendingly.

Skye saw Reid's jaw twitch and pushed in between them. She was about to tell Aaron to go to Hell when out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Pogue staring at them intently. "…if we win, you buy everyone in here a round."

Reid raised his eyebrows at her and Aaron smirked. "Fine…but if we win…" He said, inching closer to her. "I get a kiss…and just to be clear, I mean from you."

"No fucking wa-." Reid said but was interrupted by Skye. "Deal!"

"What the fuck?" Reid asked her, confused.

"Ah, yee of little faith." She replied confidently, patting him on the shoulder. "Don't count me out just yet." She said, breaking the balls and instantly pocketing two solids.

Soon enough they had gathered spectators, including Pogue and his blonde friend. "What are you doing?" He whispered to Skye harshly while Aaron took his shot at the 8 ball.

"I could ask you the same thing." She stated calmly, shifting her eyes to the girl standing irritably close to him.

Aaron missed the pocket, but just barely, though in doing so, he'd done a good job of making it easy for Skye. One shot, and the game would be over. She considered messing up just to tick of Pogue, but the thought of Aaron's tongue in her mouth was enough to make her stomach turn. So she lined up her cue and everyone grew silent as they watched the black ball sink into the corner pocket.

The crowd around them erupted into cheers, probably because of their impending free drinks. Aaron threw his stick onto the pool table and approached Skye, but was blocked off by Reid. "Don't be a sore loser Aaron...oh and I'll have a beer, thanks." He said smugly.

He shot Skye a nasty look then walked away.

She rolled her eyes and turned, expecting to see Pogue behind her, instead he was making his way outside, and he did not look happy.

* * *

><p>Shortly after Pogue left, Skye followed. She opened the door and found him standing there with his hands in his pockets.<p>

"Hey." She said hesitantly.

He snickered. "Having fun?"

Skye detected the bitterness in his voice and it almost made her feel guilty…almost. "Look, if you have something to say, go ahead and say it. I don't have time for games!"

He turned around, his eyes angry and expression serious. "Games…bit rich coming from you, don't ya think?

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She asked, when in fact, she knew exactly what he meant. She just wasn't willing to back down. After all, she wasn't the only one in the wrong.

"I dunno Skye! You tell me! I mean what would you've done if you lost to Aaron back there?" He asked, his voice growing louder.

In all honesty, she hadn't thought about that. Losing was never an option. "I…I don't know…" She said, sounding defeated.

Pogue smirked and let out a humourless chuckle. "Yeah…that's what I thought."

"Stop it!" She retorted, just as angrily. "You do not get to guilt trip me! I came here tonight to see _you, _to spend time with _you!_ So imagine what it was like for me to walk in and see some blonde bimbo hanging all over you…But you know what the worst part is? I wouldn't have cared if it was just some random girl hitting on you, but you did nothing to stop it…So _you_ tell me Pogue, how long did it take for you to even notice that I was in the room?..."

Pogue swallowed hard and Skye offered him a weak smile when he remained silent. "Yeah…that's what I thought too." She said quietly before leaving him to go back inside, slamming the door behind her.

"Fuck." He mumbled to himself, running his hands through his hair in frustration. .

They weren't even officially a couple yet and they were fighting.

In the past, most of his relationships had only ever been physical. The girls were in it because to them, dating Pogue Parry- a rich son of one of the founding families, gave them a sense of superiority over everyone one else, and to him, the 'benefits' greatly outweighed the 'attachment'. So really, there was no point in falling for any of them…he learnt that the hard way.

But this was Skye. Everything was different.

There was no denying her beauty, but when he looked at her, he saw more than that...he could see past it.

This was the only girl apart from his sister who's seen him cry, the only girl who's never been afraid to call him out on the stupid things that he's done- then and now, and the only girl he's ever been afraid of losing- when she was in hospital and when she moved away…and possibly…now.

* * *

><p>That night, instead of going back to the dorms with everyone else, Skye went home. She felt rejected and crappy, and nothing was appealing to her more than the thought of submerging herself under the covers of her queen-size bed, the way she used to when she was younger. Annie caught a ride with Tyler and when Skye told her that she just wanted to be alone for a while, she didn't push her for a reason as to why. She knew better than to force it out of her.<p>

It was 1:30am when Skye got home and all the lights were off. Jake and Kate would most probably be asleep. What normal middle aged person wouldn't? There was no point in waking either of them up so she let herself in using the spare key. They'd find her in the morning anyways and when they'd ask her what she was doing there, she'd feed them some lame story about missing home, which wasn't entirely a lie.

Once she was inside, she took off her shoes and made her way up the stairs as quietly as possible to her bedroom. It looked the same as it did when they first moved back from London- clean and unlived in. Being that Spencer was so close to home, she'd left behind some clothes, mostly the things she'd outgrown but couldn't find in herself to give away. After rifling through her drawers, she found a pair of very short pyjama shorts and an old t-shirt that barely covered her navel. She pulled the covers over her head and assumed the foetal position.

Pathetic really, but at that moment in time, she couldn't care less.

It didn't take her long to fall asleep but the combination of heavy rain, thunder and a loud tapping noise startled her awake. She got up, glanced at the digital clock beside her bed- almost 3am, and crossed her room, figuring that the balcony doors weren't shut properly or something. She pulled the curtains back and bent down to make sure the latch on the bottom of the doors was fastened. The tapping became more persistent and when she got back up, a streak of lightening illuminated the source of the noise. Skye stumbled back in surprise and squinted her eyes, not sure of whether her mind was playing tricks on her or not.

Outside, on the other side of the balcony doors stood Pogue Parry. A sheepish look on his face, his hair dripping wet and everything from his navy blue muscle hugging v-neck t-shirt, down to his grey Fred Perry Canvas shoes, soaked-to-the-bone.

After the few seconds of taking in his appearance, concern wash over her features as she quickly opened the doors and pulled him inside, forgetting for the moment why she was even angry with him. "Pogue, what the Hell? Jesus, you're drenched!" She said, lowering her voice so that her parents wouldn't hear her, while shutting the doors.

Pogue shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "I went to your dorm…Sarah told me you were here."

Skye swallowed the dry lump forming in her throat. The moment of forgetfulness was over and a new feeling of confusion began to take over…Why was he here? "I'll get you a towel." She said quietly.

He remained silent and when she handed him the soft blue rectangular material, their hands brushed against each other and she became painfully aware of what she was wearing. Embarrassed, she crossed her arms out in front of her, trying to hide herself from him, even though he'd seen her in far less before- her bikini.

But he didn't seem to notice.

She seated herself on the edge of the bed, bringing her legs up to hug them close to her chest as she watched him remove his shoes and t-shirt, and swipe the towel across his exposed skin. She tried to pry her eyes away from his perfectly sculpted body and couldn't help taking in his scent- a mixture of his fresh cologne and the rain. He gave her goose bumps and she exhaled sharply before her senses could begin to cloud her judgement.

"Why are you here Pogue?" She asked, sounding exhausted.

He dropped the towel on the red armchair beside him and crouched down in front of her, staring her right in the eyes. She looked tired and almost child-like. It reminded him of when they used to all camp out in Caleb's tree house. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." She admitted, turning her face away from him, not knowing where that confession came from. "I shouldn't have done what I did…didn't really help the situation."

She was all but ready to end things just a few hours before, but seeing him there, right in front of her, practically begging for forgiveness…it was all too much, and she couldn't bring herself to do it.

He got up and sat down next to her, cupping her face in his hand so she couldn't turn away again. "You're who I want Skye…I promise you that."

The sincerity in his voice was enough to pull on her heart strings. "You shouldn't make promises you can't keep." She whispered, his lips hovering a mere centimetre away from hers.

"I know." He said just as quietly, before crashing his lips down onto her.

* * *

><p>Skye awoke the next morning and there was no sign of Pogue or that he'd even been there the night before. After their make out session, he so graciously offered to sleep on the couch while the rain passed and she was too tired to protest. He must have slipped out early that morning. She took off the t-shirt she'd slept in and replaced it with the one she'd been wearing the night before and headed into the bathroom to wash up. After pulling her hair into a high pony-tail, she went downstairs but not before noticing the note stuck to her door.<p>

_C'ya at breakfast…_

She stared at the note for a minute…They were going to breakfast? Was he going to pick her up or was she meant to meet him? He didn't even say what time!

She crumpled up the note, tossing it in the bin before descending the stairs, following the smell of pancakes, and sure enough, once she entered the kitchen, all the questions flooding her mind about the note were answered.

Sitting at the counter, looking fresher than a daisy and chatting to her mother with a smug smile plastered of his face was Pogue…her 'boyfriend'…for some reason, that word made her cringe a bit.

"Mornin' sleepy head." Kate greeted her brightly. "…thought I heard you get in last night."

"More like this morning." She heard Jake say from the table- behind his newspaper, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Yeah…sorry about that. I wudda called, but figured you'd be asleep…I wasn't really planning on crashing here…guess I just missed my bed." She said, taking a seat next to Pogue and throwing him a dirty look. "So…to what do we owe the pleasure Parry?"

"Wedding stuff." He mumbled through a smirk as she rolled her eyes knowingly.

Kate gave Skye the blueberry pancakes she'd just made and placed a plate full of bacon in front of Pogue. "That _cannot_ be good for your heart." She said, eyeing the meat oddly.

"Think I got that covered." He stated casually to which she raised her eyebrows.

"Oh yeah? By who?" Kate beamed, sounding a little too excited.

"Yeah Pogue, by who?" Skye asked, mimicking her mother. This was going to be good. Even Jake had looked up from his newspaper to hear his response.

But Pogue seemed unfazed by all the curiosity. "Some blonde I met last night. Slipped her number into my pocket..." He said. As if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Skye choked on her pancakes a little. She wasn't expecting him to come right out and admit the truth, but she sure as hell wasn't expecting that either. You'd think he'd learn after last night. She knew he was just messing around, but that didn't stop her from giving him a well deserved kick to the shin.

"At-a-boy." Jake said fondly, turning to the sports section of the newspaper and resuming his previous position behind it.

Typical…Wonder what he'd be like if he knew the truth…

* * *

><p>Later that day, after leaving her parents and Pogue, Skye returned to the dorms for a fresh change of clothes.<p>

She unlocked the door to her room to find three girls hunched closely together, in the midst of what looked to be a serious discussion. They hadn't even heard her come in.

She cleared her throat to get their attention, but when they looked up, she wished she hadn't.

A mixture of emotions spanned across their faces…Concern, curiosity, irritation?

Annie got up and hugged Skye. "Are you okay? What happened last night? Why didn't you call me? Why did Pogue turn up here at 2am looking for you? We thought something happened and I tried calling you!" Her voice getting louder with each question.

Skye chuckled at her friend. She always did worry too much. "Relax would you, I'm fine…Seriously!" She said when they looked unconvinced.

Annie still looked worried. "What's going on Skye?"

She shrugged her shoulders innocently. "Nothing! Jeez, why does anything have to be going on?"

The tall blonde crossed her arms out in front of her and raised her eyebrows sternly, giving her that 'Do I look stupid to you?' look.

Skye hated that. "Christ okay! I got into an argument with Pogue and just wanted to sleep in my own bed. There, satisfied?"

Annie's expression became warmer and her shoulders eased up as she left her arms fall to the side. "Well you cudda just said that."

"Wait, so what was the argument about? I mean, it must have been pretty bad if you wanted to go home." Sarah asked, speaking for the first time.

Skye couldn't help smiling and had to bite down on the inside of her lip to stop herself.

Alex was the first to catch on. "Nooooo!" She exclaimed excitedly, jumping up and down, clapping her hands. "That's why he came looking for you!"

The two blondes looked at each other in confusion…Go figure. "Oh! Are you and Pogue...?" Annie and Sarah both asked, waiting for Skye to finish.

She nodded and they all squealed like little school girls…Very cliché like.

"You sneaky bitch! When did this happen and why didn't you tell me?" Annie said sounding a little hurt.

"I guess I didn't want to jinx anything…" She admitted.

"You really like him huh?" Annie asked, more serious this time. She hadn't seen her best friend act this way about a guy in a long time.

Skye bounced down onto Sarah bed. "Yeah…I really do." She replied sincerely.

"Aww…" They all cooed to which Skye rolled her eyes. "Ergh stop! Lets not be complete girls about this."

Annie faked wiping tears away and pinched Skye's cheek. "My little girls growing up."

Alex and Sarah laughed.

Skye blushed, got up and stomped off into the bathroom. "You guys suck!" She announced before locking the door behind her like a petulant little child.

She was happy though, and relieved that she didn't have to keep her relationship with Pogue a secret from her friends anymore…well at least not from all of them. She hoped that he would tell the guys, just so she wouldn't have to and to spare herself further embarrassment.

Then again, she wasn't entirely sure how they'd react.

* * *

><p>Well there it is...<p>

I've been suffering from a severe lack of inspiration lately, hence the late update. So please, if you have any suggestions, comments or criticisms, feel free to share them!

I've begun writing chapter 7 already so hopefully it'll be finished soon!

Until next time...  
>Siran :)<p> 


	7. Chapter 7: Approval

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Apart from my OC's and the story line.

Enjoy! :)

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 7<span>: Seeking Approval

"C'mon pick up, pick up, pick up!" Skye breathed down her phone, willing Pogue to answer.

He didn't. Instead she got his voicemail for the fifth time in a row. "Dammit!" She whispered, ending the call.

You'd think '5 missed calls' would read 'EMERGENCY!'

She'd been attempting to contact Pogue for the past hour, figuring a heads up wouldn't hurt, especially when Annie and her over-protectiveness were concerned. She may look skinny and fragile but the girl was scary when it came to the people she loved.

Skye was waiting in the parking lot of Spencer for the girls. They were late to meet the guys and when Alex insisted on straightening her hair for the second time, Skye took it as her opportunity to warn Pogue about her 'spilling the beans'…stupid expression really.

But so far, she was having no such luck. The thought of informing him of her earlier admissions had only recently come to mind and she mentally kicked herself for not thinking of it sooner.

Although…maybe her friends would _actually_ heed her warnings and not bring it up in front of the guys. Maybe they'd not succumb to the female archetype of shameless gossip and maybe- she hoped for this one more than the others, just maybe…Pogue wouldn't care.

She heard footstep growing louder and louder from behind her. When they reached the car and Skye saw the expressions of their faces, she realised her 'maybes' were about as useful as getting Reid to become celibate.

In other words- she was screwed.

Unless…she could get to Pogue before anyone else did..._*cough*_ Annie!

Before she knew it, she was pulling up outside Nicky's and practically running through the door, in search of Pogue and ignoring the odd stares people, including her friends, were giving her.

She spotted him and made a b-line. "Hey, yeah you, we gotta talk!" She said snapping her fingers to get his attention and grabbing a hand full of his jacket to pull him out the back door into the alley-way behind the building before anyone could protest.

He ginned mischievously. "Whoa now, if you wanted to have your way with me, I'd happily oblige."

"Shut up. This isn't about that." She said, smacking his arm, flinching at how ward it was.

"Okay…what's up?" He asked, frowning at the worry lines on her forehead.

She put one hand on her hip and the other on her forehead. "They know." She admitted as if he were instantly supposed to know what she was talking about.

But he didn't. His expression turned to one of confusion. "Know? Know what? And who are 'they'?"

She let her hands fall and took a minute to admire how adorable he looked when he was confused. Once she snapped out of it and into a state of guilt, the nervous rambling started. "Them, the girls. Annie, Alex and Sarah. They know about us! I let it slip when I got back to the dorms this morning, well actually, they kinda guessed it because I couldn't get this stupid goofy smile of my face and I know you wanted to keep it a secret and they're probably in their telling everyone else as we speak and…" But she stopped when she noticed Pogue smiling at her. "Why are you smiling? Were you even listening to me? They know! You're supposed to be angry or…or disappointed or something! Do you know how long it took me to build up the courage to tell you all this and you're just standing there smiling at me?"

He simply tilted his head and crossed his arms. "You finished?"

"Depends…are you mad? Coz if you are, I've got a whole lot more sucking up to get through." She said, still slightly out of breath from her rant.

"You're cute when you're flustered, you know that?" He said pulling her closer by the waist.

She pushed away from him and held her ground. Determined to know why he was being so cool about everything. "Pogue!"

"What?" He asked innocently shrugging his shoulders. "Look, the only reason I wanted to keep it a secret was because I thought that's what you wanted. I don't care if people know. In fact I think it would be better if they did. That way I could do this…without…anyone…caring." He said pulling her closer and kissing her firmly on the lips between each word.

She closed her eyes and gave in, letting him whisper sweet nothings in her ear.

They stayed like that for a little while longer before Skye decided that they'd better get back to their friends before one of them came looking and found them in their current compromising positions- Skye backed up against a wall and Pogue appearing as though he was sucking her blood. If they weren't careful, this would soon become a habit neither would want to give up.

They made their way back inside and spotted their friends who had migrated to the pool tables. One by one, they watched as each of their faces lit at the sight of them approaching…hand-in-hand.

* * *

><p>"What's up with them?" Tyler asked Annie, pointing his thumb in the direction Skye and Pogue had exited.<p>

"Beats me..." She said casually, taking a seat next to him but not making eye contact.

She'd always been a bad liar, or so Skye told her. Then again, the brunette knew her better than even she knew herself at times…So maybe it was different with everyone else.

"You're lying." He stated.

Guess not. "Er…no I'm not." She answered almost too quickly.

He chuckled. "Er…yeah you are." He mimicked- trying and epically failing to do an impression of her. "I can tell…You do these little things that give you away."

She raised her eyebrows, intrigued that he'd even notice such 'little things' about her. "Like?"

He inched his chair closer to her and leaned in, not wanting anyone else to hear their conversation. "Like…you don't look anyone in the eye…and you fidget…and probably the biggest give away of all…if someone was to listen closely enough, they'd hear your breathing hitch, for just a second…"

Annie stared at him completely bedazzled, her mouth ran dry and she was finding it particularly hard to swallow the nothingness inside her throat. Off the four boys she'd become accustomed to seeing and spending time with each day, Tyler was by far the most shy and reserved, even though she'd bonded with him the most. He'd opened up a lot to her in the past week and sure, they flirted, but it was never like this. She was beginning feel those infamous 'butterflies' Skye always referred to when she was seriously starting to like someone, and though she couldn't say she'd ever experienced them herself, she was pretty damn certain that the fluttering in her stomach was as close as she's ever gotten.

Tyler traced Annie's face, taking in her milky complexion and bluish grey eyes. In that moment, he forgot where they were and all the people around them. It was just him and Annie.

He begun leaning in closer and she closed her eyes. The kiss would have been perfect it weren't for Reid's complete obliviousness. "Yo, Baby Boy!" He yelled from the pool tables across the room.

Annie jerked back in surprise and their present surroundings came rushing back. Her cheeks grew red and she bit her lip, looking away from Tyler. She was uncomfortable and that was the last thing he wanted. "Hey…" He said, gently taking her hand. She looked at him and he stood up, pulling her with him. "C'mon, I'll teach you how to play."

She smiled at him and just like that, the awkwardness had been squashed.

Everyone was already at the pool tables…well everyone but Skye and Pogue, Annie noticed, and she wasn't the only one.

"Hey, where are Skye and Po-…" Caleb started, but stopped when he noticed them approaching. His jaw fell slightly and he slapped the back of his hand against Reid's shoulder. "Dude…"

Reid picked his head up from the pool table which he was currently bending over to take his shot, making him eye-level with Skye and Pogue's hands…together! He did a double take and looked at everyone else to make sure it wasn't just him seeing it. Sure enough, Tyler and Caleb looked just as surprised as him and the girls, well they all looked happy. Alex was even doing that hop-up-and-down-clapping-thing she did when she got too excited.

Suddenly a thought occurred to him and he smirked. "Told you he was getting laid!" Reid announced, gaining the attention of several other people sitting and standing around the room, including Nicky.

Skye let go of Pogue's hand and smacked him square in the chest. Again, she flinched at how hard it was. "You told them you were having sex?" She asked appalled.

"No!" Pogue defended. "Reid's just being Reid." He said pointedly.

The blonde's behaviour had earned him a punch to the arm from his girlfriend, and even thought she was the smallest of the four girls in the group, she sure didn't punch like it. "Idiot..." She mumbled, watching Reid rub his arm in pain.

"So…you two are…" Caleb asked, but didn't quite know how to finish.

"Together." Skye stated simply, bumping her shoulder against Pogue's

Caleb smiled that million dollar smile of his and nodded his head approvingly. Not that they needed his approval, but it meant a hell of a lot more knowing that their friends were behind them.

Annie was the last to share her thoughts on the newfound couple. So far, everyone else had been nothing but supportive, with the occasional 'use protection' comment from Reid and even Tyler.

The leggy blonde hadn't really said much about their relationship since learning of its existence, just joked around mainly. But this time, she looked like she meant business. She approached them, winked at Skye and placing a firm hand on Pogue's shoulder. "You and I will have words." Was all she said before leaving them to join Tyler at the bar.

Skye laughed but Pogue looked nervous. "Yeah I'm not gonna lie…she scares me."

"She's harmless…for the most part." She shrugged, lying through her teeth.

He smile triumphantly and draped his arm around her. "You know what this means right?"

She knew where he was going with this but decided to play along anyway. "What's that?"

"I get to do this whenever I want." He said whirling her around and dipping her into a kiss.

She laughed but bolted upright, pushing Pogue off her when she heard someone clear their throat. The sound reminded her an awful lot of her parents when they'd catch her doing something wrong.

It was only Nicky, but the look he was giving them didn't make her feel any less guilty. He stepped towards Pogue and crossed his arms, making the younger male out to be smaller that he actually was. "Don't be an idiot." He warned

Pogue gulped. "Um…I won't."

Nicky then turned to Skye and issued the same warning. She couldn't tell whether he was being serious or not, but his face sure wasn't giving anything away.

"You know…technically you've known me longer, so shouldn't you be on my side?" Pogue joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Nicky began walking away but turned back. "Yeah, but technically I like her more."

Skye laughed and Pogue frowned. "Hey don't worry about it…" She smiled, winking at him. "You got me."

* * *

><p>To say Adam came from a big family would have been a gross underestimation. He was fortunate enough to have both sets of his grandparents still alive, so naturally they were part of the package. Amongst the rest of the Reynolds clan were his parents and also his two brothers. Scott- the older one 32 with three pre-schoolers and the younger, Jason- a 19 year old freshman in college, as well as an assortment of uncles and aunts- his parents sibling's and their entire immediate family's…46 of them in total including Adam…and Sam loved every last one of them.<p>

His enormous family kind of made up for her somewhat non-existent one.

Andrew Parry came from old money and a long line of very successful business men, so when he fell in love with the very middle-class Elizabeth Harper- the daughter of two high school teachers, his family shunned the couple. In their eyes, she was not good enough for him. He was to marry someone of equal social stature, but in his eyes', he was the one who was not good enough for her. They eventually eloped and when his mother and father came to know of it, they disowned their only son, effectively breaking all ties with him and his eventual family.

It was only in later years, when he'd finally made a name for himself without the influence of his family, that they'd tried to get back in touch with him, claiming that they had a right to see their grandchildren grow up. But Andrew was stubborn, as far as he was concerned, they'd given up that right when they rejected the woman he loved. The same woman who till this day, has never held a grudge against them, insisting that they were just too stuck in their ways to see reason at the time and that it would've been nice for Pogue and Sam to get to know their other grandparents. So once they were old enough, Andrew gave them that choice, and they took it.

The happy reunion did not last very long though. Andrew and Elizabeth never accompanied their children on their monthly visits to their grandparents' estate. Sam and Pogue knew better than to persuade them otherwise. They were doted on- showered with unnecessarily expensive gifts and trips, and even though they were considerably well off themselves, they were never really comfortable in their grandparents' hoity toity lifestyle. It became worse once they were introduced to the rest of the family. Snotty cousins, aunts and uncles they never even knew they had. They began making excuses for not wanting to go back month after month, until one day their grandparents stopped calling altogether. Sam and Pogue seemed indifferent towards this and Andrew and Elizabeth knew better than to ask why.

For a long time afterwards, Sam wondered if she'd judged her father's side too harshly and that if she'd given them more of a chance, she might have had more to show for it.

Then again, giving people the benefit of the doubt meant assuming that they would change, and while she may not have agreed with their opinions and overall outlook on life, she realised she had not right assuming that they _would _in fact change, she was as much a stranger to them as they were to her.

But if there was one thing she _had_ learnt in her almost 26 years of life, it was that 'family' had a rather flexible definition, and while hers wasn't the most conventional one- made up more of people who were chosen to be apart of her life as apposed to those who were 'given' to her, she loved them unconditionally nonetheless.

* * *

><p>Things in the Ryan and Parry households were manic.<p>

It was a week before the wedding and the night off Sam and Adam's engagement party/wedding shower. Since the wedding had been such short notice, finding a suitable venue had proved to be impossible, even for Kate. So, Sam settled on her parents' house for both the ceremony and reception. It's not that the house wasn't adequate enough, she loved the place. She just imagined her big day to be a bit more traditional you know, with the big church and all that jazz. Nevertheless, it made her parents happy to know that they'd be playing such a major part in giving her the happiest day of her life.

Kate and Jake had offered to host the party seeing as the Parry's house was still being prepped for the big day.

Both Adam and Sam's sides of the family, together with the catering staff Kate had hired, combined to make a grand total of 80 people.

It was fair to say that Skye had never bared witness to so many people in her house before…ever!

It was a little overwhelming to say the least. She found herself seeking refuge in her empty closet- appearing to be twice its normal size with barely anything in it, as the day went on.

Every time she'd emerge and brush of her mothers' questions about her previous whereabouts, something else would go wrong. If it weren't for the caterers, she was sure Kate would have, by now, had several nervous breakdowns.

"Why did you offer to do this then?" Skye asked her mother halfway through the morning, just as the tables and chairs had been delivered

"Your father and I thought it would be a good idea. Liz and Andy are under too much stress as it is already, we just wanted to help." Kate said while over seeing the layout of the back garden where everything would be taking place later that evening. "Plus, this is our present to Sam and Adam."

"It is?" Skye asked confused, having just been made aware of this.

"Yeah, didn't your dad tell you?" Kate replied, becoming increasingly distracted.

But before Skye could answer, Kate said something about checking on the caterers and was gone.

Skye looked around at her house, rapidly being transformed…it was going to be a long ass day!

* * *

><p><em>Ding Dong…<em>the bell to the front door rang,

"Will somebody get that?" Kate yelled from her bedroom, a curling iron in hand, still in the midst of getting ready.

Skye rushed to the door in her form fitting black lace dress and no shoes.

It was just past 4pm she noted as she descended the stairs to the entrance foyer. They weren't expecting people for another half an hour at the very least.

She opened the door to reveal Tyler, Reid and their parents. "Nice…" Reid complemented her, carrying what looked to be an assortment of alcohol. He headed straight for the kitchen with everyone else following suit. Each of them held something in their hands- from presents for Sam and Adam to food for the night…typical.

"You do realise mom's gonna have a fit when she sees all this." Skye stated, watching Reid's mother- Aunt Lil, short for Lillian, set an enormous bowl of chocolate something on the kitchen counter.

She was the source of Reid's' tall skinny frame, bleach blonde hair and tremendous wit. "Oh hush." She said, dismissively waving Skye's comment off with her southern accent. "You just leave your mother to me. I'm surprised she's not down here polishing the good silver for the hundredth time."

Skye giggled at the serious expression on her aunts' face. "She's upstairs freaking out."

"We'll just see about that." The older woman said, dropping her purse onto the nearest chair before marching off towards Kate's bedroom.

Skye shook her head and followed her up the stairs to her own room to resume getting ready.

Within the next 20 minutes, all of 'Sam's side of the family' had arrived and only the Reynolds' were absent. Skye was putting on the black platform ankle boots that Annie insisted she wear- apparently flats would 'offset' the outfit (whatever that meant), when someone snuck up behind her. She knew instantly who it was. Her skin unconsciously tingled whenever they were in the same room.

"Boo." Pogue whispered into her ear, wrapping his big arms around her waist from behind. He moved her long hair to the side and gently kissed her neck. She closed her eyes and felt a shiver come over her.

She turned around and looked him up and down, smirking in approval. "You clean up pretty good Parry."

He was wearing charcoal chinos and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Simple but oh-so-sexy!

He was kissing her neck again. She loved it when he did that. He'd finally reached her lips when she heard the door bell. She broke away and Pogue groaned. "Let somebody else get it." He protested when she began to walk away.

She considered it but decided that their parents would surely become suspicious if the two of them were simultaneously out of sight for hours on end. "No can do, on door duty." She said, leaving him to exit the room "But er…you should come find me later." She coyly suggested before she was out of sight.

* * *

><p>Skye and Annie were mesmerised. They starred across the room at the boy with the striking grey eyes whom they had welcomed through the door earlier that afternoon.<p>

The photograph Adam had showed them of his family must have been at least 2 years old, unless of course Jason Reynolds packed on a tank load of muscle and grew a couple of inches over night.

"Whatcha looking at?" Sam asked, popping up from behind with a sly smile on her face and startling them.

"Nothing." They chorused quickly, guilty expressions and all.

Sam didn't look the least bit convinced. "Aha…"

"Is it that obvious?" Annie asked.

The older brunette shrugged her shoulder. "Only to those looking…can't say I blame you though." She said, tilting her head to the side and giving Jason a look of her own.

Skye quirked an eyebrow up at her and she immediately straightened. "What…there's no harm in looking…right?" She asked innocently.

"Well I do declare, Mrs Robinson!" Annie giggled in her most over dramatised southern belle impersonation, even going so far as to place her pale, dainty hand on her chest in mock surprise. They all laughed. "I didn't peg you for the Sugar Mama type."

Sam looked playfully offended. "Hey! I am nowhere near as old…plus I love Adam. He literally is the _only _one I _think _about these days. I blame my hormones…they've been going crazy lately and-"

"Okay! And that's where I'm gonna stop you." Skye interrupted, wanting to be spared the details.

Sam chose that moment to duck behind the two girls, using them to shield her from Adam's and her mother who had just walked past on their way to the back gardens.

Once they had disappeared Skye and Annie turned around and eyed Sam curiously. "Don't give me that look." She said. "I've been hounded with wedding details ever since those two were put in the same room. I just want a little break."

Skye smiled sympathetically. "C'mon." She said, taking her hand before turning to Annie. "I'll be right back."

She led her up the stairs and into her bedroom, opened her empty closet and indicated for Sam to go in. "It's all yours."

"Tempting…" Sam admitted hesitantly.

"Don't worry about it. I've been doing it all day. Just…hang out for a bit. Annie and I will cover for you." Skye advised.

Sam thought about it for a few minutes more before giving in. "Okay…just for a little bit."

* * *

><p>Skye left her in the quiet of her closet to go back downstairs. She'd just hit the bottom step when she noticed Adam's 4 year old niece, Chloe, sitting alone in the empty dining room with nothing but the tons of untouched, covered food to keep her company.<p>

Chloe was the youngest of three siblings. Her brother's Colton and Carter were 5 year old identical twins. Skye found it impossibly difficult to tell them apart. She hadn't really spent much time with any of the 4th generation Reynolds, mostly owing to the fact they were all 8 and under, but she did notice that they were all pretty much inseparable.

Skye stood at the archway to the dining room and called out to the little girl cautiously. "Hey there cutie."

Chloe looked up at her and smiled, showing off her dimples. Skye felt her heart melt and she took it as her permission to approach. As she did, she took in the little girls' appearance- tan complexion, rosy cheek, dark auburn hair and the same grey eyes that Jason had. In fact, her resemblance to him was uncanny, even more so than either of her parents. Everything apart for the hair, his was blonde.

She was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful children Skye had ever laid her eyes on. "How come you're in here by yourself?" Skye asked gently after taking a seat next to her.

The younger girl continued to look at her with those innocent eyes. "Everyone's outside."

"Don't you wanna go outside?" Skye asked.

She shook her head slowly. "I don't like the dark."

Skye starred out the large bay windows into the front yard where a basketball could be seen bouncing around. It was just past 7:30pm.

"That's okay, a lot of people don't…but hey, you know what, I've got an idea." She said offering Chloe her hand.

She took it and once again, Skye climbed the stairs to her bedroom. Once they were inside, she caught sight of what she'd come looking for. The porcelain doll she'd had since she was 7. She picked it up of the bed and bent down, handing it to Chloe. She beamed at Skye and wrapped her arms around her. "Thank you, thank you!"

"You're welcome sweetie. Just remember to take care of her." Skye said, returning the hug.

Chloe had just bounced out of the room when Skye heard a strange sound coming from her bathroom. She checked the closet first and Sam was gone. It must have been her.

The bathroom door was slightly ajar. She pushed it open to see Sam on the marble floor, clutching the toilet with her head in the bowl.

Skye rushed to her side, panic taking over. "Oh my God Sam!" She pulled her hair back from her face. Her cheeks were flushed and fresh tears streaked down her flawless face. "What's going on? C'mon, talk to me!"

"I don't know." She replied groggily. "I was just sitting there…then everything started spinning."

"Well do you think it's something you ate?" Skye asked, feeling her forehead for a temperature.

Sam got up and steadied herself before walking over to the sink and looking in the mirror. "Can't be…I haven't eaten since I got here…the smell of all that food just kinda put me off."

Suddenly a thought occurred to Skye. Raging hormones…nausea…what if…?

"Um Sammy…when was your last period?" She asked.

Sam just looked at Skye's reflection in the mirror for a few seconds before realising what she was _actually_ implying. "…shit!"

* * *

><p>Skye practically flew down the stairs and into the living room, making quick work of finding Kate. "Mom!"<p>

Once she'd caught her mothers' attention her mind blanked. She needed an excuse to go to the pharmacy. "Um…we're out of ice. I'm gonna go get some. Okay, bye."

But Kate wasn't having it. "Sweetie, we're in the middle of hosting a party. You can't just leave, plus dinner gonna be served any minute. If we need ice that badly, I'll send someone else to get some later."

Dammit why couldn't her mother just be easy for once…not in that way!

"But Sam-" She almost blurted out.

"Sam what?" Kate asked, confused.

"Um…Sam…Sam needs tampons. I haven't got any and all you have are maxi pads. She can't use those, I mean have you seen that dress she's wearing. I offered to go instead of her, so…bye." She was gone before Kate could even attempt to persuade her otherwise.

She grabbed her keys and sprinted to her car, mentally cursing Annie for making her wear heels. In her frenzy, she hadn't even noticed that she'd passed the guys, plus Annie and Jason on her way out. They all just watched her zoom away and Tyler turned to Annie. She shrugged her shoulders. "I honestly have no idea." She said.

This time, he could tell it was the truth.

Skye reached the pharmacy in a record 12 minutes and dashed through the isles. She found the pregnancy tests and threw at least seven different types into the basket, along with a box of tampons. The cashier eyed her curiously but she was in no mood to explain herself, annoyance evident on her face at how slow he was scanning the items. Once he'd rang everything up she threw the money on the counter, yelling "keep the change" as she quickly exited the store, stopping by the local convenience shop to pick up some ice- just to be on the safe side, before returning to the party.

She returned her car to its previous space and got out, dragging the pack of ice with one hand and carrying the mysterious looking brown paper bag in the other. Annie stepped of the porch and approached her. "What's in the bag?"

Skye dismissed her question and handed her the ice. "Do me a favour and put this away."

Annie took the bag and joined the guys in watching Skye walk back into the house and straight up the stairs.

* * *

><p>Sam had just peed on her 10th stick. She placed it on the counter, washed her hands and joined Skye on the bed. Some tests took 3 minutes, others 5, so she decided to look at them all at the same time.<p>

Each second that passed felt like an hour. They both remained quiet, Sam because her brain was currently malfunctioning and Skye, because she didn't know what to say.

After what seemed like forever, Sam finally spoke. "Pogue told me about you two."

Skye gave her a weak smile. "And?"

"And…I couldn't be happier." She said, her eyes glistening.

Skye could feel the sting in her own eyes. "Just for the record…I think you'd make an amazing mom."

Sam took Skye's hand in her own and looked at the digital clock on the night stand. It was time.

They walked into the bathroom and up to the sticks lined on the counter. Heavy tears finally spilled from Sam's eyes as one by one, she read the same two pink lines on each test.

* * *

><p>So what did we all think?<p>

Until next time...  
>Siran :)<p> 


	8. Chapter 8: The First Signs of Trouble

Apologies for the stupidly long delay, but here it is- Chapter 8!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Apart from my OC's and the story line.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 8: The First Signs of Trouble<span>

They just sat on Skye's bed…completely silent.

She wished she could see into Sam's mind, just so she'd know what to do, how to comfort her.

But she was getting nothing. Sam's face remained completely blank as she starred at one of the pregnancy tests in her hand.

"Sam…" Skye said quietly.

The older brunette jumped in surprise. Skye's tone had barely been above a whisper.

Reality came flooding back to Sam, who seemed to have been in some sort of daze the entire time. "What am I going to do?" She asked, her eyes welling up again.

Skye turned to face her. Honestly, there were worse things that could be happening. She thought Sam would have been overjoyed with the news. "Sammy it's a baby! Adam loves children…you know that! So what exactly are you worried about?"

"He's leaving in 2 weeks…for 6 months! I can't go through this for 6 months all on my own!" She replied, raising her voice a little.

"I'm sure your being pregnant would be reason enough for him to stay." Skye justified.

Sam looked frustrated. "That's just the thing, he shouldn't have to! He's worked so hard to get to where he is…it just wouldn't be fair."

"So what are you gonna do…let him leave without telling him? What's he gonna think when he comes back and you're 3 times your normal size? He will resent you forever!" Skye said harshly.

Sam buried her face in her hands. She had no comeback to that.

Things like this always hit a little to close to home for Skye. "Look…Sammy, I don't mean to be a bitch about this...but if your biggest concern is that Adam's going to _want_ to stay with you through the next 6 months…then really…you have nothing to feel sad about."

"You sound way too old for your age, you know that?" Sam laughed, sniffling and wiping away her tears.

Shrugging her shoulders, Skye moved closer to Sam and draped her arm around her. "C'mon, let's get you cleaned up, dinners about to start...and hey, whatever you decide, you're not alone."

* * *

><p>Skye watched as Sam crossed the room and took Adam's hand, joining into the conversation between him and Reid's father, Richard.<p>

They would make incredible parents she thought, smiling to herself.

"He's one of the lucky ones." She heard someone say, referring to Adam.

It was Jason. He'd come to stand next to her, leaning against the opposite side of the doorframe.

"They both are." She replied, still looking at Sam and Adam.

They stood in silence, but it wasn't an uncomfortable one. She'd barely said two words to him the entire day yet oddly enough, she felt somewhat at ease around him. He was a lot like Adam, she noted.

He pulled out his Blackberry and looked at the screen longingly, nostrils flaring and eyes darkening.

"Trouble in paradise?" Skye asked.

He let out a humourless chuckle. "Is it that obvious?"

"Put it this way, if looks could kill, you'd probably need a new phone right about now." She laughed.

He smiled and offered it to her. The wallpaper was a picture of him with his arms around a petite brunette whose hair was adorned with two pink streaks- his girlfriend she assumed.

"She's beautiful." Skye said, handing the phone back to him.

"Yeah…she's also the most pig headed, frustrating person on the planet." He huffed.

Skye raised her eyebrows and smirked. "You are so whipped!"

He didn't even try denying it, just shrugged his shoulders. Now there's something you don't see everyday.

"So what gives?" Skye asked.

He returned the phone to his pocket and folded his arms, which Skye noted- were very big. Just…another pointless argument…she's having second thoughts about flying down for the wedding now…"

Skye nodded in understanding. "Want my advice…call her. Don't wait around for something to magically happen. Sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better…trust me…"

Her eyes had unintentionally become fixed on Pogue as she spoke. Jason hadn't missed this. "Speaking from experience?" He asked.

Colour crept onto her cheeks as she turned away form Pogue to look at him. "Something like that…"

* * *

><p>It happened again…the dream. Only this time, it played out till the end.<p>

Skye awoke with a racing heart and pounding head. She had to cover her mouth with her hand to muffle the sounds of her uncontrollable sobs.

Trying to calm herself, taking in deep breaths, she turned her head to Sarah, who lay on her side with her back facing Skye. She appeared to be sleeping peacefully. At least that made one of them. It was a relief though, she didn't even want to think about how she'd begin to explain what just happened.

It was almost 5am. No time like the present for an early morning run she thought. Getting out of bed, she effortlessly sifted through her wardrobe, looking for a t-shirt and shorts. Once she'd changed and put her running shoes on, she wrote Sarah a note, just in case she wasn't back before the blonde awoke.

She placed the note on her pillow and gave her roommate one last look before closing the door behind her.

Sarah bolted upright at the sound of the door slowly clicking shut, scared and confused at what she'd just witnessed.

* * *

><p>An eerie silence filled the halls and corridors of Spencer Academy, the only source of light coming from the dimly lit lamps that lined the walls, illuminating Skye path to the schools only exit…or entrance, which ever way you choose to look at it.<p>

Skye hit the ground running as soon as she stepped out of the school gates. She could have stayed inside the premises, but it gave her less room to…clear her head, so to speak.

It was still dark out, and misty. Switchfoot's 'Dare You to Move' played on her Ipod, but it didn't matter what the song was, Skye heard nothing. The only words running through her head were 'why?' and 'how?'

An hour and a half later, she'd come full circle, approaching the school gates from the opposite side she'd started without even remembering how she got there. Her feet seemed to have been doing the thinking for her.

While cutting though the student parking lot to get to the flight of stairs leading to the dorm rooms, she noticed the bright yellow paint of a motorcycle out of the corner of her eye. Doing a double take, she realised it was Pogue's Ducati, and next to it, Caleb's silver Mustang.

That was odd.

They both lived of campus, so what were they doing at Spencer at that time?

Shaking her head, she climbed the stairs to her room. She would have to find out later.

* * *

><p>"What did you do?" Caleb yelled at Reid through the phone.<p>

The blonde sat up in his bed and glanced at the clock. Almost 5:30. This confused him, usually he'd had to have been awake to do something. "What are you talking about?"

"Who is it?" Tyler asked from his bed, having been woken up by Reid's ring tone- 'Baby Got Back'

"I'm coming over there!" Reid heard before Caleb abruptly ended the call.

"…what the fuck…" Reid mumbled to no one in particular before shutting his phone and throwing it to one side.

15 minutes later, Caleb stormed through the door with a sleepy looking Pogue trailing behind him.

Caleb immediately grabbed Reid by the t-shirt, balling up the material in his fists as he shoved him against the wall. "What did I tell you about using?"

"C'mon man, back off." Pogue said, attempting to pull him away.

"Dude, calm down before you pop a vein, the last time I used was at Nicky's." Reid calmly reasoned. He'd become accustomed to Caleb's paranoid, overprotective ways.

Tyler frowned. He was beginning to feel like he was in a constant state of déjà vu, only this time, Reid hadn't actually done anything…as far as he was aware. "He's telling the truth." He yawned, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

Caleb reluctantly let go of him, his expression turning from stern to apologetic. "I'm sorry…" He huffed.

"Don't worry about it…least you called first." Reid joked, slapping him on the arm.

Caleb took a seat next to Tyler on his bed, looking pale and tired.

"What's going on, man?" The younger boy asked, his voice full of concern.

"I could feel it…someone used. It was enough to wake me from a deep sleep." He explained. "Didn't any of you?"

The all shook their heads. "Maybe it's because you're the closest to ascending?" Pogue said.

It seemed like the most likely explanation, but Caleb still looked unconvinced. "Maybe…"

* * *

><p>Sarah walked into Nicky's to see Caleb patiently sitting at the group's usual table. She smiled to herself as she approached him. He was always early.<p>

That morning had been a lot of first for her. First time she'd ever witnessed something so terrifying, first time she'd ever felt such a weight being placed on her shoulders and the first time she'd ever called a guy to 'hang out'. Caleb was always the one to initiate their outings.

Even though she could never see herself passing up an opportunity to spend time with him, she had ulterior motives behind wanting to meet- she was desperate for someone to talk to…to confide in, so why not the person she trusted the most?

He saw her coming towards the table and his mood instantly brightened. He got up to greet her and she softly pecked him on the cheek. "I'm glad you called." He told her as they both sat down.

"Me too." She said, offering him a small smile.

After they'd ordered, they sat in silence with Sarah fidgeting with the sleeves of her jumper. This was strange, conversation always seemed to come so easy to them. Caleb could sense that something was wrong.

"So…swim tryouts are coming up…" He said, trying to distract her from whatever it was that was bothering her.

She didn't hear him, instead began picking at a loose thread on the end of one of her sleeves. Caleb gently placed his hand on top of hers to get her attention. "Sarah…"

She jerked at the contact, retracting her arms. "What…oh sorry, what were you saying?"

He smiled reassuringly at her. "It's not important…you wanna tell me what's got you so worried?"

She was hesitant. Was it fair to drag him into it? Maybe she was just overreacting. Everyone has nightmares…right? "Skye…" She finally admitted.

Caleb felt his eyebrows knit together. "Is she okay? Is she sick?" He asked, his thoughts immediately travelling to her heart condition. He though it had subsided.

"No, she's fine…at least she is now." She replied quietly.

"Did something happen?" He prompted.

"You can't tell anyone…" She pleaded more than requested.

He didn't know if he could do that, having never kept a secret from the guys before, but nodded anyway.

Sarah swallowed, feeling her throat dry up. "I think she was dreaming…or having a nightmare. I woke up and she was tossing around…mumbling stuff. I called out to her but she didn't hear me. It got worse…she started kicking and shouting, then I felt this creepy…I dunno, breeze? It was so weird. She started to wake up and I panicked, pretended to go back to sleep…I heard her cry a little while longer before she got up, changed and left. She left me a note saying she'd gone for a run. I couldn't go back to sleep after that…she probably thinks I slept through the whole thing…"

Caleb didn't know what to make of it. He remained quiet. Sarah hoped she hadn't completely freaked him out. "I'm sorry for unloading all this on you…"

He shook his head at her. "Don't apologise…its good that you told me…I mean…Skye's been through a lot, stuff we couldn't even imagine, and everyone has nightmares… so maybe there's just more to hers…you know?"

Sarah exhaled a breath of relief, he made a good point. She hadn't stopped to think about Skye's illness…what it must have been like for her. "Yeah…yeah, you're probably right." A smile returned to her face as he took her hand again, this time she didn't pull away. "Thank you."

"For what?" He asked.

"Listening..." She breathed.

* * *

><p>With each blow that Skye delivered to the pads on Annie's arms, the more the blonde wanted out. Normally she had no problem posing as Skye's human punching bag, but this time just took the cake- she wasn't usually this aggressive.<p>

She barely had any time to react before Skye yelled "Teep!" and sent her tumbling over onto one of the many treadmills in the school gym.

The brunette frowned at the less-than-pleased look on her best friends face as she helped her up. "Seriously?" She breathed sceptically as Annie held her stomach in discomfort.

"Yes! You try being on the receiving end of that!" She answered harshly.

Skye held her hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry." She apologized. "I didn't realise…"

Annie waved her off dismissively. "It's fine…are you okay?"

Turning away so Annie wouldn't have to see her face, Skye began peeling of her gloves. "What do you mean?"

"I mean is there something bothering you?" She clarified.

"What? No…why would you think that?" Skye asked.

"I dunno…something just seems…_off_ with you today." She explained.

Skye smiled at her. "Annie…if something was _really_ bothering me, you'd be the first person I'd tell…I promise."

It wasn't a lie. The dream had thrown her for a loop at the time but it wasn't worth telling Annie- her over protectiveness would just kick into high gear and as much as she loved the girl, that was just something she didn't feel up to dealing with.

Luckily for Skye, she seemed to have bought it. "Okay…good. So are we done here or do you wanna keep going?"

"No, you go. I'll just practice on the bag." Skye chuckled.

"You sure? You've been at this for almost two hours now…" Annie asked in slight awe.

"Yes! I'm sure. Go, get out of here. Go take a shower, you smell." She joked.

Annie gave her a fake smile and gathered up her things, tossing the strap of her gym bag over her shoulder. "Fine…call me later." She said before exiting the room.

As soon as she was out of sight she pulled out her phone, scrolling down the contacts until she found the right one.

It rang twice before someone picked up. "Hello."

"Hey, got a sec? We need to talk." She said, deciding to skip the pleasantries.

* * *

><p>Skye smiled at the spot through the glass where Annie had disappeared then turned around, noticing for the first time that she was completely alone.<p>

She walked over to the docking station on the wall and put her Ipod on shuffle before resuming her stance...left foot forward, always.

Half an hour had passed and Skye had become completely absorbed in taking out her frustrations on the bag when she felt an odd breeze enter the room, sending a shiver down her spine, causing her to freeze.

Someone's icy fingers had found their way onto her bare abdomen.

Her brain told her to react, but all she could find within herself to do…was scream.

* * *

><p>Pogue's head was spinning. Annie talks a lot when she's pissed off. He made a mental note to <em>never<em> get on her bad side.

After _what seemed_ like hours of assuring her that he hadn't done anything to upset Skye, she hung up and he decided to find out for himself what was going on.

An unusually impatient wind had briefly swept through campus, leaving behind a scatter of debris. Skye's music could be heard all through the corridors leading up to the gym. Pogue rounded the corned and there, through the transparent glass he spotted her. A proud smile crept onto his face as he watched her put everything she had into each jab and cross…his girlfriend was badass!

He'd finally reached the heavy set doors to the gym only to find them jammed shut. Inside, Skye had completely stilled…weird. He banged on the door to get her attention but she didn't respond, the music must've been too loud.

A few minutes had passed and the doors still wouldn't budge, nor did Skye by the looks of it.

Worry and panic had by then set in as he began forcefully pushing his arm up against the doors until they flew open. Surely that should have been enough to catch her eye or even her ear, yet she remained completely frozen on the spot.

He approached her cautiously, calling out her name but it wasn't until he was directly behind her and placing his hands on her sides that she finally acknowledged his presence…by screaming.

…a terrified, gut wrenching scream.

Pogue whirled her around and cupped her face between his hands, trying to calm her. "Skye! Skye it's me, it's only me. You're okay. Everything's okay!"

The fear in her eyes was quickly overcome with heavy tears as reality came flooding back to her, realising what she'd just done. "Pogue…" She cried in relief.

Wrapping her arms around him, she buried her face in his chest, clinging to him for dear life.

He hugged her tight against him. "Skye look at me." He whispered pleadingly. "Please, I can't help you if you won' tell me what's wrong."

When she didn't answer, he lightly shifted the hair that had fallen out of place to expose the back of her neck and wiped away a falling bead of sweat with his finger. She shivered at his touch, sending goose bumps erupting across her body. She was burning up, her skin felt like fire against his. "Your hands…they're so cold." She breathed and with that, blacked out.

* * *

><p>Voices…she could hear them. People were talking.<p>

She lay on a hospital bed in the campus infirmary, slowing coming to. As she did, the voices became louder.

"You were right." Pogue said quietly. He hadn't left Skye's bedside since bringing her in.

Annie looked pale…paler than usual. "I knew something was wrong…I shouldn't have left her." Her tone wracked with guilt and concern. Skye could hear her biting on a finger nail. She'd just about chewed through all of them since getting Pogue's call.

Skye thought it best to put them out of their misery. "Thought we agreed you'd stop doing that." She said, barely above a whisper, referring to Annie's bad habit. Her throat felt like someone had poured a bucket of sand down it.

They were both on either side of her before she could even fully open her eyes. "I'll get the nurse." Annie said before hurrying away.

Pogue was looking down at Skye with a stony expression. "Hi." She murmured.

He ran a hand through his hair and looked away from her. She was confused. As far as she could remember, she hadn't done anything to make him angry, except maybe ruining his t-shirt with her tears. Shouldn't he be happy she was okay?

Before she could get the chance to ask him about the stick up his ass, Annie was making her way back over to them with the nurse in toe.

"Afternoon young lady, I'm nurse Patrick. How're you feeling?" The older woman asked.

Skye wasn't sure whether it was her barely lucid thoughts playing tricks on her, but she was certain she heard an accent. Thinking about it took her mind of the cobwebs forming in her throat, but only for a second. "Thirsty." She admitted.

The nurse smiled and poured her a glass of water. "I'm not surprised. Do you know where you are?"

It didn't look like any hospital she'd ever been in before and considering that amount of time she's had to spend in them, she should know. "School…I guess." She answered, taking a sip of water.

The older woman nodded her head. "Mhmm and do you remember what happened?"

Skye nervously shifted her gaze to Pogue then back again. She remembered everything, as clear as day. "I was at the gym…then…" was all she could manage to say while trying to subdue the burning in her cheeks.

"You fainted…because your blood sugar levels were low and you were slightly dehydrated…Basically you over exerted yourself. Now, given your history, I would've expected you to be far more careful." The nurse said pointedly.

"I know…just got a bit carried away." Skye said quietly.

"Well I've got good news and bad news for you. Good news is you're going to be just fine. Bad news is we've got to keep you in overnight for observation." Nurse Patrick said, her tone switching from stern to cheery.

Skye offered the older woman a weak smile before she left the three of them, promising to be back later to check up on her.

Soon afterwards, Annie followed suit. "I've gotta go, but you-me-here-tonight-dinner. It's a date." She said, blowing Skye a kiss on her way out.

That just left her with Pogue and the fairly sized elephant in the room. He still wouldn't looks at her.

Propping her hands to her sides, she attempted to sit up, not realising just how stiff she was. Pain coursed through her limbs as she cried out. Pogue had his arms around her in an instant, helping her up. She looked at him, his expression had changed. He looked…sad.

"Thanks." She whispered.

"What happened, Skye?" He asked in his most serious tone

And just like that, Skye was back to being confused. "Guess I just overdid-"

"Bullshit!" He said, not waiting for her to finish. "You and I both know that's a lie…What happened?"

Annoyance flashed across her face. "Christ Pogue, I don't know! What the hell do you want me to say?"

"The truth…so I can fix this!" He shouted.

Her features softened. She finally understood. "Pogue, I…"

"No, you know what? Forget it. I'm done." He said, abruptly ending their conversation and walking out.

Skye was left at a loss for words.

Done?

* * *

><p>All she wanted was to be left alone, and to forget, though the first was proving to be trickier than she anticipated, mainly because no was making it easy for her.<p>

When Skye opted to return to the dorms after being discharged, Kate insisted on calling every hour. That she could deal with, if it meant not being constantly hovered over, something she thought she'd cleverly avoided by not going home. She was wrong. Sarah could definitely give her mother a run for her money. She practically had to push the blonde out the door just to get some peace and quiet.

It was easier to fall asleep that way. Sleeping helped with the forgetting part. It meant not having to think about the past two days, so naturally, she'd been doing a fair bit of it. Her handle on her dreams seems to be a lot firmer than on her rational thoughts, which was ironic really, considering it was a dream that landed her in this whole mess in the first place.

All she could think about while she was awake was Pogue and how so much can change in just a day. Not that her dreams were much different. They too were mainly about Pogue, but at least she was happy in them and the words "I'm done" hadn't come out of his mouth.

It just seemed so…final, like it was the end or something…and there the depressing thoughts went again, hence why she slept.

Only this time, she couldn't. Her entire body still ached from the workout. Typical! The one time she's left alone and she can't get to sleep…fucking typical!

The way she saw it, she had two options. She could either stay in bed and stare at the ceiling or get up and take a hot bath. She wondered how many times she'd have to count the wooden panels on the ceiling before she's eventually fall asleep…50 at the very least at the rate she was going, so bath it was.

Getting out of bed was also proving to be quite the challenge, being old must be quite the bitch!

The bathrooms were empty, not surprising. After all, it _was_ nearing 11 o' clock on a Sunday night, people would be making the most of the time they had left until school starts again in a week…well, most people.

The bath helped, a lot. Skye could successfully bend down without cringing. She'd just wrapped herself in a towel and gathered up her stuff when the light blew out. Perfect, now she'd have to fumble around in the dark to find the door. Luckily, she didn't have to search for that long.

She walked the short distance from the bathrooms to her dorm, leaving a trail of water droplets from her hair along the way. Reaching her door, she pulled out a tiny silver key to unlock it, only to find that it was slightly ajar.

Her heart immediately began beating faster. If it had been any other day, she would've dismissed it as carelessness on her part, but the past few days had implanted an odd sense of paranoia within her, making her second guess everything, even the simplest of things. Nevertheless, she slowly pushed the door open and stepped over the threshold. At first glance nothing looked out of place, that is until she shut the door and turned the light on.

* * *

><p>AGAIN...let me just say how sorry I am about the delay. Uni applications are due and exams are coming up so I can't really say when the next chapter will be ready...soon hopefully!<p>

Anyways, hope you've enjoyed this chapter.

Unitl next time...  
>Siran :)<p> 


	9. Chapter 9: Something Blue

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Apart from my OC's and the story line.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 9: Something Blue<span>

Her heart felt as though it was about to leap out of her chest, it didn't help that she had _just_ a towel covering her modesty either. "Jesus! Pogue, what are you doing here?"

"I'm…I just needed to see you." He said, flustered.

She wanted more than anything to just hug him at that moment, but there was also a part of her that held her back, the part of her that felt like this whole scene was becoming a little too familiar for her taste. "Why? You made it pretty clear how you felt yesterday."

"Look I'm sorry, but you don't understand…" He defended.

"You're right, I don't! So why don't you enlighten me?" She quipped.

"It's not that simple…" He replied in a lower tone.

"What, and you think I don't know that?" She shouted back at him. "I'm sick Pogue…I may have been okay for a while but I will _always_ be sick…and there is nothing simple about that!"

He watched as her eyes began to glisten and took a step towards her. She didn't back away, instead held her hand up to stop him. "Don't! Just leave…please!"

"I will, but not without you hearing me out." When she didn't protest he continued. "This isn't about you being sick. I _want_ to be with you regardless of that. You may choose to push aside what happened but I can't do that! I had to sit there and watch you knowing that there was nothing I could do to help…you have no idea what that was like! I'm sorry for what I said and the way I acted but I was angry…and more than anything I was scared…because for a second there, when you just… collapsed, I had myself convinced that I'd lost you for good…and no matter how hard I try, I cant stop thinking about that..."

She refused to look at him or allow the stinging in her eyes to betray her. Swallowing the dry build up in her throat, Skye stepped towards the door and held it open for Pogue. He looked at her stony faced. "I _will_ find out what's going on, whether you like it or not." and with that left her alone.

Once she'd closed the door behind him, she broke down, sinking to floor as she cried, silently pleading and hoping that he'd just let it go, for both their sakes.

* * *

><p>For the first time in a long time, Annie had no idea what was going on with her best friend. She hadn't seen or heard from Skye in three days, their previous record being a mere couple of hours.<p>

Tyler watched as Annie used a straw to play around with the ice in her almost empty glass, looking a million miles away. He cleared his throat and she looked up at him with a guilty expression. "Sorry…just distracted."

He smiled, showing off his dimples. "It's okay…I'm worried about her too."

They'd barely known each other a month and he could already read her like a book. She liked that, a lot.

A loud crash caused them both to avert their gazes to see chairs being kicked over as Pogue slammed Aaron onto the pool table. Tyler immediately shot from his seat to Caleb's side, aiding him in his attempts to subdue their friend, although it was Nicky who eventually pulled them apart. He dragged the blonde towards the front door while Caleb and Reid pulled Pogue into the back alley to calm him down.

Tyler noticed Annie stand and went back over to her. "Man, I don't know what's gotten into him lately…" He said, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah well, I think it's time we found out." She said holding up the keys to his Hummer. He took them and followed her out the room.

"Where to?" He asked once they were in the car and pulling out of their parking space.

She swallowed hard and let out a breath, contemplating whether or not this was a good idea. "Skye's." She finally said.

Tyler made quick work of their journey to the Ryan's estate. Soon enough they were driving up to the big iron gates and walking through the front doors.

"Anyone home?" Annie yelled from the foyer.

"Well it's about time." Kate said coming from the kitchen with a dish towel slung over her shoulder. "Why didn't you come home with Skye?" She asked sternly, hands firmly on her hips.

Tyler chuckled as Annie rolled her eyes. "I've gotta get used to the dorms some time." She shrugged.

"Mhmm…" The older woman murmured, looking between the two of them before turning on her heel to head back into the kitchen.

"So is Skye around?" Tyler asked as Annie fetched them two bottles of water from the fridge.

Kate eyed them curiously. "What do you mean is she around? She left a couple of hours ago to meet you guys."

They exchanged confused looks, but by the time they realised that they'd possibly just landed Skye in it, Kate was already on to them. "You haven't seen her have you? Just wait till I get my hands on that girl! Lying to me, really?" She shouted, going over to the phone and angrily dialling what could have only been her daughters' number.

"Wait!" Annie called out. "Tyler and I haven't seen the guys all day, she's probably with them…um…at Nicky's!" She suggested.

It was common knowledge that Annie wasn't a very good liar, but Kate seemed to have bought it.

Soon after, Annie excused herself, taking a detour into Skye's room whilst on her way to the toilet. Once in there, she quickly pulled out her phone and dialled the first person she came across.

"Yeah." Caleb answered rather uncharacteristically.

"Hey, quick question, is Skye with you?" Annie asked hurriedly.

"No, why? Is she okay?" He replied.

"Crap…I dunno. She told her mom she was meeting us." She said.

"Well maybe she's still on her way?" He suggested.

Annie breathed a sigh of frustration. "This was a few hours ago Caleb."

He didn't answer her, instead she heard a slight commotion in the background.

Seconds later, a different voice spoke to her. "Annie."

"Pogue?" She enquired.

"Yeah. Don't freak out. I know where she is." He said, ending the call.

* * *

><p>Skye watched as her phone lit up and vibrated around the dusty floor. She figured someone would call sooner or later. First it was Caleb, then Tyler, then Annie…everyone except for him.<p>

Still, she was sure no one would find her.

Earlier in the day, whilst Kate was distracted, she snuck up to the attic and unlatched the circular window leading to the small balcony. She wasn't going to risk being caught up there.

Skye hated lying to her mother, but she desperately wanted to be alone, just for a while, so she parked her car around the back and climbed over the garden fence- great lengths considering she wasn't even leaving the house. It didn't take her long to climb the vines leading to her special place, it had become like second nature to her.

The attic was beyond dirty. No one had used it in the 9 years since they'd left for London, and it showed. Everything, from the floor to the walls was covered in thick layers of dust making it hard to tell what was what.

While she hadn't gone looking for anything in particular that day, she still found herself feeling slightly nervous as her curiosity got the better of her.

Most of what was up there was old furniture her parents had bought but never had the heart to throw away- like her baby crib. They were sentimental like that.

Amongst the rest of the clutter and dust were a few boxes labelled "Skye".

Bingo!

She quickly tore off the seals and sifted through the contents, finding some of her baby clothes, old toys and a mountain of photo albums- many of which featured the guys and Sam.

Memories came flooding back and Skye realised how much happier she was back then, how even at the worst of times, someone was always there to help. But things were different now. No one, not even Annie could help.

The familiar feeling of emptiness began to set in the pit of her stomach and despite her clever avoidance of dirtying her clothes, she felt her bottom half hit something as she sat down to prevent the bile from rising in her throat.

Feeling around her sides, Skye realised she was actually sitting on her wooden treasure chest. Apart from the dust, it still looked exactly like how she remembered it.

Inside it was a locked, rusty metal box and an old porcelain trinket. The trinket she recognised, but not the box. Before she could investigate any further, she heard a noise coming from outside. Someone was coming up.

By the time Skye shoved the trinket into her pocket and closed the chest, Pogue was climbing through the window- so much for no one finding her.

"Hi." She said uneasily.

He pushed past a dangling cobweb and scanned the room. "Nice hiding place you got here."

"Bitta spit 'n polish and it'll be good as new." She joked awkwardly.

Nodding his head slightly, he smiled at her. "You should really call Annie, I told her not to worry but some how I doubt she'll listen."

Skye felt her cheeks flush under his warm gaze. "I…er…I was going to…just wanted a bit more time up here."

Once again he nodded and continued to inspect the room. "You wanna tell me what's going on?"

"Been itching to see what was up here since…well, since that night." She said truthfully, remembering their first kiss.

"Find anything good?" He asked, turning his attention solely towards her this time.

"Yeah…actually I did. Come 'ere." She chuckled, walking over to the photo albums. "I think you're gonna wanna see these."

He picked up a loose photograph of Skye on her seventh birthday. She was standing alone in the garden, wearing a fairy costume and pouting. A deep laugh erupted from his chest as he examined the picture, taking a seat on the floor, seemingly unfazed by the dirt and dust. "I remember this. Man, you were cute…what happened?"

She smacked his arm and sat herself down next to him. "Shut up! You guys were horrible to me and it was my birthday!"

"We weren't that bad." He defended.

Skye raised her eyebrows at him. "Not that bad? You made fun of me the entire day!"

"Yeah but I seem to remember you getting back at me pretty good." He grinned, nudging her side.

"Mhmm, remind me, what was it like getting knocked out by a little girl wearing wings and a tutu again." She beamed at him.

"Yeah well, you may look like a girl but you sure as hell don't punch like one."

"Guess I have you guys to thank for that." She earnestly admitted.

Unable to think of what to say next, Pogue unintentionally triggered an awkward silence.

At a loss as to how to break the tension, Skye fished out the trinket burning a hole in her pocket.

"What's that?" He asked.

"I remember seeing it my mom's closet once…I think she was trying to hide it from me. When I asked her about it she got all weird so I didn't bring it up again."

Pogue took it from her hand and slowly spun it around in his own. "What's in it?"

"Don't know yet." She said, taking it back from him.

He gave her a look as if to say "what you waiting for?" and she exhaled sharply before removing the lid.

Skye pulled out the first thing that caught her eye. It was a bracelet with a heart shaped charm attached to it. Upon further inspection, they both noticed the engravings on the charm. It was a crest of some sort initialled with the letter _P. _

"Huh…can't say I've ever seen this before." She stated, handing it to Pogue.

"Yeah…but I think I have." He confessed. "At least, the crest I have…just not sure where."

While Pogue continued to eye the bracelet suspiciously, Skye emptied the remainder of the trinket into her hand. Out fell a silver hair pin- covered in light blue stones, and a ring.

The clip she recognised as hers from when she was younger, but the ring…the ring she wasn't so sure of.

"Ha! no way!" Pogue cried out excitedly after seeing the ring.

"I take it you've seen this before as well?" She alleged, rolling her eyes.

"I should, I'm the one who gave it to you."

She looked at him puzzled. "Wait, what?"

He laughed at her. "You're hopeless you know that? Second grade...the carnival...you were sad that you didn't win anything the whole day so I gave you the only thing that I did."

She smiled, recalling the day in question. "God…what is wrong with me?"

"Hey now…you're gonna be okay! I'll make sure if it." He said, wrapping his arm around her.

"Wish I felt the same way…I shudda said this to you a while ago but…I'm sorry…for _everything_ I've put you through lately…You don't deserve _any _of it"

"Stop, you'll make me blush." He joked.

"I'm serious Pogue." She said, pushing his arm away. "Maybe…maybe we should start over…go back to being friends."

"We already _are _friends." He pointed out.

"I meant _just_ friends…at least for the time being"

He ran a hand through his hair, obviously frustrated. "So what…you want me to wait?"

She turned to face him straight on. "I don't really know what I want anymore…but the one thing I am sure of, is that I can't hurt you anymore…I won't…it isn't fair."

"Fine…" He finally said.

"Here…" She offered him the ring. "Who knows…maybe it'll find its way back one day."

"Yeah…maybe." He said, reluctantly taking the ring from her.

* * *

><p>"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." The priest recited.<p>

Adam went in for the kiss and Sam pushed his face away. "We don't have time for that! Let's go over it one more time."

A simultaneous groan broke out amongst everyone present at the rehearsal. It was the day before the wedding and everything was finally ready. Sam had become a paranoid perfectionist with her pregnancy, not that anyone but Skye knew.

"Enough please! I can't take it anymore!" Lucy- the maid of honour and Sam's best friend cried out. Collapsing into the nearest seat and kicking her heels off. She'd flown in that very same day from New York.

"Oh stop being so dramatic." Sam said, rolling her eyes.

Skye stomped towards the bride-to-be, bouquet in hand and pulled her aside "I know you don't wanna hear this right now, but you're driving everyone crazy!" She whispered harshly.

Sam opened her mouth to retort but Skye cut her off. "Look, I get it. You want everything to be perfect, but all this stress can't be good for the baby. You should be siked for tomorrow, not bugging out about it. So just chill out, we've been over this three times already, all we've gotta do is get through dinner then before you know it, it'll be tomorrow."

"But-"

"I don't wanna hear it." Skye interrupted her again.

It was obvious that there was no fighting Skye on this, so Sam settled on walking away in a huff. "Shows over people! I expect to see every one of you dressed and at dinner in an hour, and yes- that means you too Reid!"

Adam approached Skye, clearly impressed. "Please, teach me your ways, oh wise Sensei." He appealed, clapping his hands together and bowing.

"Sorry pal, no can do. The power of persuasion is a gift." She said with a smug smile before following everyone else back into the house.

* * *

><p>Skye had just walked into the garden, about to enter the marquee where no doubt everyone would be seated and dressed appropriately- as per Sam's orders, when someone yanked her by the arm, pulling her out of everyone else's view.<p>

She figured it was Pogue, and that made her pulse race- that he was still trying.

Alas…it wasn't him.

"Adam? What's wron-" She tried saying but was cut short by his bone-crushing-bear-hug. "Can't…breath..." She stifled.

"She told me! She told me about the baby! I'm gonna be a father!" He spun her around excitedly.

Skye tried her best to return the hug with her heels dangling above ground. Once he'd set her back down she breathed out a laugh. "Finally! What made her tell you?"

"I found her crying and refused to marry her unless she told me what was wrong." He replied proudly.

"Nicely played!" She commended, earning him a fist bump.

"She wudda cracked sooner or later…gotta love those pregnancy hormones." He said, more to himself than to her.

"And the conversation just got weird. C'mon Paps, lets get you some jell-o." She teased, linking her arm in his.

"So witty…" He remarked, smiling down at her as they entered the marquee.

* * *

><p>The sun was shining, birds were singing and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom- all in all, it seemed like the perfect day for a wedding.<p>

Chloe- Adam's niece was bouncing around the grooms' room in her white flower girl's dress. There was a knock at the door and she went to open it with Pogue keeping an eye on her as he knotted his bow tie.

"Flowers for the bride." The delivery guy said.

Pogue practically sprung for the flowers, figuring he could use them as an excuse to see Skye. "Thanks man, I'll take em."

"Who was that?" Adam asked, fiddling with his cuff links, but Pogue had already left. He gave Chloe a curious look, to which she just shrugged.

Pogue walked the short distance to Sam's room and knocked on the door, not exactly sure of what he was going to say.

"Who is it?" He heard Skye call from the other side.

"It's me…Pogue."

"Is Adam with you?" She asked.

"Er no…no it's just me." He replied, slightly confused.

"I swear to God Pogue, if I open the door and see Adam anywhere, I'm gonna cut your hair while you're asleep!" She threatened.

He swallowed the dryness in his throat as the door swung open. She looked at him suspiciously, ushering him into the room then immediately shutting the door behind her.

Pogue set the flowers on the nearest table and turned to face Skye, stunned that she some how managed to look even more beautiful than usual.

"Trouble with your bow tie?" She laughed, closing the gap between them.

The sweet scent of the perfume from her wrists intoxicated him as she fixed the mishap around his neck. Only when she'd called his name for the second time did he snap out of it. "Huh?"

She laughed again. "Your bow tie? I'm guessing that's why you're here."

"You know you're not making this 'friends' thing any easier for me." His tone was low.

Her smile faded, the dark look in his eyes made her nervous. She couldn't tell whether he was trying to be harsh or flirty.

He began to lean forward and she felt her breathing hitch.

"Skye, was that Adam again?"

The sound of Sam's voice automatically triggered Skye's reflexes, causing her to jerk away from Pogue. His sister had the worst timing, but he couldn't find it in himself to be even the least bit annoyed at her- not after seeing her walk out of the closet in that dress. "Wow…Sam, you look…"

She smoothed out her dress, smiling at him. "Thank you."

He couldn't help himself, feeling the overwhelming urge to hug her. She seemed surprised at first but returned the gesture, welling up in the process.

"Na-na-na-no-no! No more crying. There's no time to redo your makeup _again._" Skye yelled.

They both just laughed at her. Sam sniffled back the tears and let go of her little brother just in time for Kate to walk in and announce that it would be 10 minutes till show time.

Pogue gave Sam one last appreciative look before kissing her on the cheek. "He isn't gonna know what hit him." He said and with that left the room, being careful to avoid Skye's gaze as he did so.

She brushed it off and approached the blushing bride-to-be. "I have a present for you." She whispered to her, fishing out the hair clip she'd found the day before.

Sam sighed at its beauty. "Oh Skye, I love it!"

The younger brunette smiled, sliding the clip into place in Sam's hair. "There…now you have your something blue."

* * *

><p><em>Clink.<em>

The sound of metal tapping against glass shifted everyone's gaze to the newly weds.

Sam stood from her seat next to her now beaming husband. They looked like the poster couple for marriage. She cleared her throat and the excited chatter surrounding them quickly grew quiet. "Wow um, so I'm not gonna bore you with details about how Adam and I met. Trust me, I'm doing everyone a favour."

A wave of laughter erupted throughout the marquee.

"I have to start by saying how unbelievably grateful Adam and I are to each and every one of you for supporting us. As most of you know, what with Adam going away soon that this wedding was pretty last minute, so all of you being here has just made this day even more special. That being said, we couldn't have imagined a more perfect wedding! And all the credit goes to our amazing parents and _especially_ to my Aunt Kate, who sat with me for hours on end. Arranging all this…" She gestured around. Hundreds of fairy lights twinkled down. "…and helped keep my head above water."

Heads turned towards the women in question. She was crying.

And now, so was Sam. "I can honestly say that you moving back is the best thing that's happened to Adam and I."

Queue more laughter.

"Well…the second best thing." She said, placing her hand over her stomach, at which point, Adam stood.

They looked at each other for a second before Adam took the mike from Sam and put his free hand around her waist. He glanced around at all the curious faces until he landed on Skye. "Which brings us to an announcement."

He held the mike out in front of Sam who had curled herself into his side. "We're pregnant!" She beamed, laughing back tears of pure joy.

* * *

><p>R&amp;R please!<p> 


	10. Chapter 10: Secrets

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Apart from my OC's and the story line.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 10: Secrets<span>

Skye had kicked off her heels and propped up her aching feet on the chair in front of her. She couldn't for the life of her imagine how Annie did it. Six hours straight in six inch heels. Even the thought hurt.

She looked out onto the middle of the dance floor. Pogue was twirling Sam around. She hadn't seen him smile like that for the longest time. He was the first to reach the newly weds after their announcement. Over the moon wasn't enough to describe the expression on his face. Apparently he'd always wanted to be an uncle. Everyone laughed when they'd heard him say it, as if he were joking or just saying it to show Adam and Sam his support. But Skye knew it was the truth. Because the thing about Pogue was, and he'd probably never admit to it if you mentioned it- he'd always felt the need to protect people, be it his family or even a complete stranger. He couldn't help it, it was just who he was. And honestly, there were a lot worse traits that a guy could have.

Skye was so immersed in her own thoughts that she hadn't even noticed Tyler sit down next to her. He snapped his fingers in front of her eyes and she jerked back to reality.

"You do that a lot, you know that?"

"Do what? She asked casually.

"Space out…where do you go?" He looked genuinely curious.

"Trust me. You don't wanna know." She answered truthfully.

He didn't seem to catch the look that crossed over her face as she said it, or if he did, he was doing a good job of not showing it. Instead, he smiled at her. One of those warm, admiring smiles that made you feel all bubbly inside, like you'd just made his day. "You knew, didn't you?"

"Knew what?" She could only guess what he was asking. But if her guess was right, she'd seriously underestimated how much Tyler actually knew her, or could read her.

"About Sam." He stated. The smile still plastered on his face.

Bull's-eye! She _was _right. All she could do was smile back at him. It was as good as a 'yes'.

He laughed, showing off his dimples. "Figures. You were always good at keeping secrets."

Skye looked at her friend. He'd said it so innocently, baring no hidden message behind it. If only he knew the truth. But she didn't want to think about it anymore. Thinking about it made her insides turn. So she changed the subject.

"So you and Annie've been spending a lot of time together."

His eyebrows perked up at her knowingly and she smirked. "What? A girl can't state the obvious without having ulterior motives?"

He held his ground.

"Fine. Don't tell me. Just remember this. I know that girl like the back of my hand. So when you finally decide to grow some balls, I'll be the first to know, whether either of you like it or not." Even she was a little surprised at how cocky that came out.

"Mhmm, tell me Skye, how _is_ Pogue?" He asked innocently.

Oh, he was playing dirty. Fighting fire with fire- safe to say she didn't see that one coming. Those baby blues and dimples worked well to mask his quick thinking, sharp tongue. She would definitely need to stop underestimating him so much. "Well played my friend…well played" She praised him, clearly impressed.

He chuckled at her. "C'mon. Let's dance." He said, offering her his hand.

She looked at her abandoned heels and sighed. "Can't, Annie killed my feet." She whined.

"So do without them. Besides, you don't need heels to do the chicken dance." He grinned, knowing she was sold.

And she was.

She loved the chicken dance.

* * *

><p>One chicken dance and five songs later, Skye was stood with Tyler at the dessert table. They were sharing a piece of the wedding cake when Reid came swaggering over. That infamous smirk smeared over his face.<p>

"Check it out, total babe at 3' o clock."

"Seriously, 3' o clock? What are we, in ninth grade" Tyler snorted.

Skye rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and the last I heard, you already had a girlfriend."

"Jeez, will you both just shut it and look." He said, nudging his way in between them and taking the cake from Skye's hands.

They did as they were told and upon seeing the 'total babe' in question, stared at their blonde friend in confusion.

Dark chestnut brown hair, petite figure, flattering blue dress…

"You're right, she is hot. She also happens to be your girlfriend." Skye pointed out, crossing her arms out over her chest. Was he high or something?

Reid began shaking his head. "See, that's what I thought too, until…" He trailed of, gesturing towards a different table this time. Sat around it was Sarah, Caleb and…wait for it…Alex!

Skye and Tyler both did a double take, looking between the two small brunettes. Maybe they were all high? Maybe it was the food? Just as she'd thought this, Skye pulled the cake back from Reid's grasp before he could take another bite and began sniffing the cake. Tyler laughed at her, knowing full well what she was sniffing for.

And apparently so did Reid. "I'm not high." He stated, looking slightly offended. "I wouldn't do that to Sam."

Great now she felt bad. "I know, but…look at them!" She said, putting the cake down. "They could be twins."

"I know right…twins." He thought out loud, looking a little too happily. Tyler shared a look with him and they bumped fists. _Boys!_

Skye rolled her eyes again- it was becoming an increasingly bad habit. Just then, Sam announced for the bouquet toss. What a relief. There was only so much '_boy'_ a girl could take. She searched for Annie amongst the gathering unmarried females on the dance floor and spotted her hiding in the back. _Smart!_ She thought as she went to stand next to her. Sam couldn't possibly throw that far back. Or so they thought.

"Okay, everyone ready?" Sam beamed from up on stage, turning her back to them "1…2…3!" The bouquet went soaring through the air, heading straight for the back of the dance floor. Hands shot up to try and reach it, but it landed straight in Annie's palms. She fumbled and tossed it to Skye, who reacted in a similar way, immediately throwing it to whomever else, though this time, the hands that caught it didn't let it go.

Everyone turned to see who'd caught it- Alex's look-a-like. They all clapped and cheered, causing her cheeks to turn red.

After seeing her up close, Skye could quickly tell the difference between her friend and the blushing girl standing beside her. While Alex was clearly Hispanic, this girl was not, although, she _did_ look familiar. Then it hit her- Jason's girlfriend! Skye hadn't recognised her because she was missing the two streaks of pink in her hair.

Huh, who would've though. Jason and Reid had the same taste in girls. _Scary._

* * *

><p>The last time Skye stood in the departures lounge of Boston Logon Airport, she was saying goodbye to her friends. This time round, the roles were reversed.<p>

"Promise you'll call as soon as you land or if there's a delay."

Adam wiped away the tears from Sam's cheeks and nodded. "Promise."

The final boarding call had just been announced. Sam wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. Married for two days, pregnant and not being able to see the man you loved for the next six months. It was hard to watch. Skye didn't envy her friend.

Adam let go of Sam and quickly hugged Skye. "Take care of my girl." He whispered to her before returning to give Sam one last kiss. Then he was gone. Sam sobbed even harder on Skye's shoulder as they just stood there, staring at the point where he'd disappeared from their sight.

It was just the two of them. Adam's flight was in the early morning and he didn't want everyone waking up at the crack of dawn just to stand around being sad. Kind of like Sam and Skye were doing. So, he just asked Skye to come along- for Sam's sake. She was more than happy to.

By the time Skye was puling up to the Parry's estate, it was a little past 9am. The two brunettes walked into the kitchen where Sam's mom was in the middle of making breakfast. She saw them and tried to put on her most heartfelt smile.

"Is Pogue up? Skye couldn't help asking.

"Probably not. He doesn't usually come by till dinner." Sam answered.

Skye looked at her in confusion. "_Come by_?

"Yeah…you know he doesn't stay here anymore, right?"

Skye shook her head, surprising Sam. This was clearly news to her. "Pogue hasn't lived here since he turned seventeen. He's got an apartment in town…Didn't he tell you?"

"No." Skye tried to control her anger. "No. he didn't."

* * *

><p>The road was completely deserted. Skye was on her way back to the dorms and she was furious. "He's been living on his own for almost a year!" She yelled at her phone.<p>

Annie was on loudspeaker, trying to calm her best friend. "Are you sure he hasn't mentioned it before and maybe you just forgot?"

"I think I'd remember if the guy I liked, who happens to look like an Abercrombie & Fitch model, said he was living _by himself_, without any parental supervision what so ever!"

"So that's what this is about? You're pissed because you don't trust him, not because he didn't tell you."

The matter-of-fact way Annie had said it made Skye even angrier, even if the blonde was right. "That's not what I said!" Whose side was she on anyway!

"Look, I hate to say it but I think you're overreacting."

Skye's knuckles had turned white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly and the tips of her fingers had begun to tingle. Her eyelids suddenly felt awfully heavy. She couldn't help but close them, but it was just for a second- a second that should have cost her, her life. Or so she was sure off when she went crashing- full speed and head first into an on coming truck.

Instinctively, her arms shot up to shield herself from the impact. Not that it should have mattered. She should be dead, scattered in pieces all over the road.

Instead, she sat sweaty and panting- car and body completely intact. She looked back to see what had happened to the truck, but there was nothing there. Had she imagined it all?

"Skye!" The sound of Annie's voice caught her attention. She was still on loudspeaker. The phone lay on the floor in front of the passengers' seat. If it was all in her head, then how did it end up there?

"Skye talk to me! What just happened?"

"You heard it?" Skye picked up the phone, white faced.

"Are you okay? It sounded like a crash. You screamed."

Skye was crying now, hysterically. "I…it…it happened again!"

Annie went silent.

No, Skye hadn't imagined it. And that wasn't something to be thankful for.

* * *

><p>They'd all felt it- the power. Someone used. And for the first time, Caleb was sure it wasn't any of them.<p>

"What's going man?" Tyler asked. He looked scared. They all did.

"I don't know." He was ashamed to admit it. He was their leader, the oldest. He should've been the one with the answers.

"Maybe we should ask the elders." Tyler suggested.

Pogue shook his head. "And have em think we can't handle our own powers? They already think we're too reckless. It'll just give em more incentive to strip us."

"They can't do that! Once Caleb turns eighteen and ascends he'll bind the circle. They won't be able to do anything then, even if we wanted them to." Reid said.

"That leaves us with a month. What are we supposed to do until then? Tyler asked, once again looking to the eldest for answers. "Caleb?"

He stayed silent for a minute, considering their options. "We keep quiet…and try to figure out what the hell's going on."

The three other boys nodded their heads in agreement. It was the best they could do…for now.

* * *

><p>Tyler was on his way to meet Annie. With everything that was going on between him and the guys, she served as the perfect distraction.<p>

But that wasn't the only reason he wanted to see her. He'd decided that he would take Skye's advice-' grow some balls' and finally ask her out. It was a long time coming too. He'd had his fair share of girlfriends, but none of them compared to Annie or the way she made him feel. He just hoped she felt the same way.

Nerves began to set in as he rehearsed what he was going to say in his head. Or he could just kiss her and hope she'd get the hint- Reid's idea. Either way, he'd have to decide fast. Her dorm room was fast approaching. Soon he was standing outside her door, just staring at the shiny numbers. _304_

_Seriously? Stop being such a fucking wuss! _He told himself, bringing his fist up to knock. But something stopped him- muffled voices, coming from the other side. He couldn't help himself, leaning in closer and pressing his ear against the wood. Someone was crying.

He instantly backed away. This was wrong- listening in. But who was crying? Was it Annie? What if something was seriously wrong? Maybe he could help. The next thing he knew, he was knocking on the door, trying to appear as though he'd just got there, and hadn't heard a thing.

The voices grew quiet and the door swung open. Annie stood in front of him, her beautiful face etched with worry, but baring no signs of tears, telling him that she wasn't the one who'd been crying. This made him feel a little better.

"Hey." He said, smiling at her.

Annie's expression melted into one of relief as she hugged him tightly, letting the door swing forward until he could barely see in anymore. "Hi."

"What was that for?" He chuckled.

"Just…glad to see I guess." She professed.

"Must be my lucky day then. I actually came by to see if you wanted to grab a bite to eat."

Her eyes seemed to light up a bit. Surely that was a good sign. "I'd love to, I just can't right now. School starts tomorrow and I've still got loads to do." She lied.

And he could tell. "You know I know you're lying right."

_Damn him._ She thought, nervously looking over her shoulder. She was worried again. "Ty…I-"

"Is something wrong?" His face suddenly serious.

"I know this looks weird but-"

"Is it Skye?" He interrupted her, stepping to his left to try and peer around the door. The more Tyler got to know Annie, the more he realised that she spent most of her time worrying about her best friend, even when there was no need to.

Annie gulped and just like that, she had given it away. "You should go now." She said, bracing her hands on either side of the doorframe so Tyler couldn't see in.

But he didn't budge. "She's my friend too." He insisted.

"Tyler, _please_." She begged, on the verge of tears. "I'll explain later, just please-"

But he didn't wait for her to finish, pushing past her and into the room. The urgency in her voice had set off alarm bells in his head. Something was _very _wrong.

Then he saw her- sitting on the floor, at the foot of the bed. She had her knees pressed tightly against her chest with her head down. Her shoulder's quivered as she sobbed to herself.

Tyler approached her with great caution. "Skye."

When she didn't answer him he looked back at Annie. She'd shut the door and pinned her back to it. "She's been like that for the past hour."

He crouched down next to Skye and put his hand of her face. She was burning up. "Skye."

Still no response.

"I know you can hear me. Just look up for me…Please."

She lifted her head reluctantly, keeping her eyes shut. When she opened them, she saw the exact same look on his face that she did on Annie's. _Horror._

* * *

><p>Her skin was sickly pale, cheeks sunken and marked with dried tears and the bags under her eyes looked more like bruises- purple and swollen. But the biggest shock came when she opened her eyes. They were bloodshot and unlike anything Tyler or Annie had ever seen. And no matter how hard either of them tried, they just couldn't shake the image from their heads.<p>

Skye had fallen asleep crying, her face visibly more relaxed than it was before. Tyler promised he'd be there when she woke up, and he was planning on sticking to that. He _had_ to know what was going on. Annie refused to tell him- it wasn't her place to, nor were they her secrets to share. So he just sat there, patiently waiting for Skye to wake.

She did so two hours later, stirring in Annie's bed. It was nearing 3pm.

Annie shot to Skye's side, checking her forehead. Her temperature had retuned to normal and so did the colour in her face. She looked like Skye again.

Tyler handed her the coffee he'd bought while she was asleep. She took it, smiling a 'thanks' at him.

The coffee wasn't all that hot but it still did the trick. She felt ten times better after only the first sip. "I'm sorry you had to see that." She said quietly, looking at Tyler. Her eyes were still puffy but the redness had all but disappeared.

He was glad to see that. "Don't be." He smiled back, coming to sit beside her. "You wanna tell me what's going on?"

Those words- they were the exact same that Pogue had once used. She hadn't realised just how alike the two of them were. "You're gonna think I'm crazy."

"Try me."

Skye let out a humourless chuckle. "Something's wrong with me." She confessed. "And before you ask, it has nothing to do with my heart."

His eyebrows knotted together. "I don't understand."

She looked at Annie for a second. She was the only person who knew Skye's secret. "Tell him." The blonde urged.

So she did. She explained everything that happened on the road, the tingling in her fingers and the feeling she felt afterwards.

"_Hollow_?" He asked. He hadn't looked at her in disgust or run away. Instead he listened intently without interrupting. After she was done, he just looked…angry.

Skye nodded her head slightly. "Like I'd been drained of all my energy…just…empty."

"Is this the first time it's happened?"

"No."

He went pale. "Don't worry." He said, kissing the top of her head. "We'll find out what's going on…I promise."

He didn't push her for anymore information, but from the little that she _had_ told him, he'd started to draw his own conclusions in his head. And all of them spelled even more trouble for Skye.

* * *

><p>Like every other private school, Spencer Academy had a uniform. One which Annie did not feel the need to abide by.<p>

"You _cannot_ be serious!" Skye noted, staring at her Oxford heels.

"Oh but I am." The blond stated, posing in the doorway to room 301.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure those…" Sarah pointed to the shoes. "…are against the rules."

"Exactly. This isn't Gossip Girl, Annie."

She just brushed them off. "I'm sorry, but have you _seen _Alex."

While Annie, Skye and Sarah had for the most part, adhered to the norm, Alex had not. She wore the exact same uniform, except in a completely different way.

"Silly me, what was I thinking. This _is _Gossip Girl!" Skye mused, playfully smacking her own head.

"Wait, what are we talking about?" Alex asked, clearly confused as to why all eyes were suddenly on her.

"Oh nothing, _Blair_." Sarah teased innocently, closing the door behind them as they left for orientation.

By the time they reached the auditorium, students were piling in. The room- if you could call it that, was just like the rest of Spencer Academy- the exact opposite of subtle. With its towering ceiling and elevated seating surrounding a wide stage, it looked fit for the wealthy.

Sarah, having come from a mediocre Boston public, gawked in awe. "Are you sure this is a school?" She asked Skye.

She laughed in response. "I know right. Talk about over the top."

Alex led the way to a vacant row of seats near the front. The ones further up had all but been occupied. Skye saw Tyler and waved to him and the guys. Their arrival seemed to have sparked something amongst everyone in the room. She looked around, confused. Why was everyone suddenly so excited?

"Ladies." He tipped his head at them before taking the seat next to Skye.

"How're you doing?" He whispered to her.

Skye knew full well what he was _actually_ asking, and she didn't get it- studying him for a second. How was he being so calm about this? How was he _not_ terrified and weirded out by her? "I'm fine, Ty"

"Then why don't I believe you?"

"Can we not talk about this here?" She asked, looking at Pogue who had sat down next to Tyler.

He frowned at her but let it go.

Unbeknownst to them, Pogue had caught their brief interaction, and he was not impressed. What could they possibly have to whisper about at 8am? He could feel the jealously boiling to the surface. She hadn't said one word to him since their almost kiss the day of Sam's wedding, of which, she'd spent most of her time with Tyler. Yet she could sit there and whisper into _his_ best-friends ear. _Unbelievable!_

His internal rant was soon cut short by Provost Higgins taking to the stage.

And with that, their first day as seniors began.

* * *

><p>What started out as "I'm going to make this short" turned into a forty minute lecture. Skye felt as though she'd just been through an entire day of classes.<p>

"Does he always talk that much?" Annie groaned. Rubbing the stiffness in her neck she'd gotten from desperately trying to not fall asleep.

"Pretty much." Caleb nodded, looking around the crowded hallway. Their little group seemed to have created quite a stir amongst the student body.

"Is it just me or are people staring at us? Sarah noticed as well.

"They're probably wondering how we snapped up all the pretty little newbie's already." Reid smirked.

"Charming, Reid." Alex said blandly. He just shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

"Or… gawking at Blair and Serena over there." Skye joked, nodding towards Alex and Annie, who'd been walking side by side with their arms linked.

"Enough with the Gossip Girl references! We get it!"

They all laughed.

A girl with pin straight blonde hair and a Louis Vuitton slung over her shoulder approached them from the surrounding spectators.

"Hey Pogue." She beamed, showing off her whiter than white teeth.

Skye raised her eyebrows at her. What was everyone else invisible? Pogue saw the look in her eye and thought he'd use it to his advantage. He was still peeved about whatever it was that was going on between her and Tyler. "Madison." He smiled back at her. "How was your summer?"

"Oh you know, Paris then the Hampton's. The usual."

_Of course!_ Skye thought, rolling her eyes. Another word and she was definitely going to be sick in her mouth. She couldn't listen to this anymore. Luckily the bell for first period echoed through the hallway, giving her the excuse she needed. She quickly said her goodbye's and left for AP Bio with Caleb and Tyler falling into step on either side of her.

"Who was that?" She asked once they were a safe distance away from the others.

"Oh c'mon! Don't tell me you don't remember!" Tyler feigned surprise.

She looked at him pointedly.

"_That_ dearest Skye was Madison Clark."

"The Marshmallow?" She snapped. She never _did_ find anything better to compare her childhood nemesis too.

"Man, you hated her!" He laughed.

"Yeah, with good reason too! She cut all my Barbie's ponytails off! And you guys used to follow her around like lost puppies!"

"Glad to see you haven't held a grudge or anything, pal." Caleb quipped.

"Bite me Danvers!"

They both laughed at her. "I'll admit, for a little while, we did kinda fight for her attention. But can you blame us? We were young and she's, well…a girl!"

Skye stopped in her tracks. "Oh, my bad. I wasn't aware that I had a penis back then!" She conveyed a little too loudly.

"C'mon, you can't seriously be annoyed at us. Back then we saw you as…you know… just one of the guys."

"But, if it makes you feel any better…" Tyler said, putting his arm over her shoulder. "We _definitely_ don't see you that way anymore! I mean have you _seen_ your ass." He let out a low whistle.

Skye scrunched her face in disgust and wriggled out form under Tyler's arm, speeding up her pace to enter the biology lab before them. "Eww!" She threw over her shoulder.

"Too far?" Tyler stopped and asked Caleb as they watched her disappear into the room.

"Nah, she'll get over it." He said before following suit.

* * *

><p>Skye walked into the schools cafeteria, flanked by Annie and Tyler. She was delighted to find that the latter was in most of her classes, apart from P.E. The rest of her friends varied.<p>

"I'll go find a table." Annie announced, leaving her spot in the queue. "Grab me some food." She called over her shoulder.

"Would now be a good time to talk about yesterday?" Tyler asked softly.

"_Never_ would be good time to talk about yesterday. So let's just drop it." She said without looking at him.

He glared at her, burning a hole in the back of her head. "I'm not gonna pretend like it didn't happen, Skye. I'm not as good at ignoring things as you are." His tone was low but harsh. It stung.

"I don't know what you want me to say Ty. It's not like I have any control over what's happening either so what's the point in obsessing over it."

"Have you even tried to-"

"Of course I have!" She interrupted him. "But how much can I really trust books or the internet? And I can't exactly walk up to a doctor and say 'fix me'. So yes, I _have_ tried."

She was upset now and Tyler scolded himself for making her that way. _Nice going idiot! _"You're right. I'm sorry…I'm just a little freaked out…and worried I guess…"

There it was. He'd finally said it. Skye was relieved. She was beginning to think he was a bit too comfortable talking about stuff like this. "Don't be sorry." She smiled at him, wrapping an arm around his waist and leaning her head against his shoulder. "And as for worrying, that more Annie's thing."

They stayed like that until they reached the front of the line. Tyler handed her a tray and she loaded it with two bowls of chicken stir fry, two bottles of water, a chocolate pudding cup for Annie and an apple for herself. The tray was awkward and heavy and she was struggling. Tyler chuckled and effortlessly took it from her with his free hand. "Oh Tyler, you're my hero." She batted her eyelashes at him and offered to take his books.

"A thank you would have sufficed." He said dryly, handing them over.

"I'm nothing if not grateful." She purred coyly.

"Stop, you're being weird."

"What's this I hear?" She faked surprised. "Not so nice when the tables are turned is it?"

"Oh look, there's Annie." He said, ignoring her. Skye stuck her tongue out at him before heading in the blonde's direction. They'd almost reached their table when Tyler abruptly stopped. He didn't even budge when Skye, who'd been following behind closely, walked straight into his back. "Whoa, what's the hold up?" She asked, rubbing her nose. She followed Tyler's fixed stared to see none other than Aaron Abbot sitting next to Annie. Groaning, she stomped past Tyler and straight up to them, dropping the books she'd been carrying on the table. "Aaron." She greeted him with a false smile. "I think Kira's looking for you."

Tyler joined them, purposefully taking the seat on Annie's other side.

"Whatever." Aaron muttered, getting up and slinging his bag over his shoulder. "You know where to find me." He nodded to Annie before departing.

"Oh thank God!" Annie shuddered. "I feel dirty. I think I need a shower."

"Want me to say something to him?" Tyler growled.

"No." She shook her head, inching closer to him and stroking his bicep appreciatively. "Just don't leave me alone when he's around." She chuckled.

"Deal." He promised.

"God, if you two were any cuter I'd gag!" Skye said shoving Annie's food towards her.

"Green is not a pretty colour on you Skye." The blonde stated.

"Shut up and eat your noodles."

She did as she was told- surprising Skye. "What, no comeback?"

Annie set her fork down and gestured her head towards the entrance of the cafeteria. Pogue had just walked in with Madison hanging off his arm.

Skye snorted, trying to appear indifferent whilst her insides turned and her heart sank.

"Did I ever tell you that Skye hated me when I first met her?" Annie chuckled, looking at Tyler.

"Random…" He thought out loud. "But didn't she beat up some kid who was picking on you?" He asked, clearly confused.

"That was how we became friends." Skye interjected, knowing full well why Annie had brought this up. "But when we first met, I couldn't stand her."

"Why?"

"Because…" Skye started, smirking at her best friend. "She reminded me so much of _Madison Clark_- pathetic and weak."

"Hey!" Annie protested.

"Not to mention the blonde hair, pigtails and puffy pick dresses." The brunette went on.

"Yet here we are, nine years later and she can barely function without me." Annie said smugly.

Tyler still looked confused. "Is there a point to this?"

"Annie's basically trying to tell me to give Madison a chance." Skye said flatly.

"All I'm saying is there's no harm in trying to be civil."

"You know she's kinda right." Tyler pointed out.

"Oh so_ that's_ how it is…" She scowled at them. What was the point in trying to defend herself if they were going to gang up on her.

"A scowl? Damn Ty! Whatcha do, stare at her ass again?" Caleb mumbled through bites of his sandwich as he sat down with Sarah on Skye's right side.

"I don't blame you. It's pretty decent." Annie said casually.

Tyler had just opened his mouth to reply when Pogue practically slammed his tray onto the table next to Annie. She jumped and he mumbled an apology. Dropping his bag to the floor, he pulled out the chair beside him for Madison. They all looked at him. His face was calm but his eyes were hard. He must have heard what they were talking about. Tyler staring at Skye's ass might have been okay for Annie but it didn't fly with Pogue, not that he was gonna let them know that, especially since _Skye_ was the one who wanted to _just be friends._

"What's everyone talking about?" Madison asked innocently.

"Nothing important." Tyler answered a little too quickly. "So, um, Madison…" He cleared his throat. "You remember Skye, don't you?"

"Oh my gosh, yeah!" She chirped as if she hadn't seen Skye sitting almost directly opposite her. "I heard rumours that you'd moved back. It's so good to see you after so long!"

Her face looked glad but her voice dripped with false sincerity. Skye's bullshit radar had gone into overdrive. "Oh my God, I know right!" She mimicked, tossing her hair over her shoulder. Tyler and Caleb couldn't help sniggering. Even Pogue's mouth had curled up slightly at the corners.

Annie kicked her under the table in warning. "Don't..." She mouthed.

Madison appeared oblivious to Skye's cynicism, which either meant that she was exactly that- oblivious, or she was trying to seem unfazed. _Oh well_.

"You're not eating?" Pogue questioned Madison. _What the hell did he care?_

"Oh no. I'm on a low carb diet. I can't afford to be like other girls." She said, casting her eyes towards Skye who'd been sharing Annie's pudding cup.

"_Other girls?" _The brunette asked, tilting her head to the side and making a show of licking her spoon.

"Well I'm an athlete. You'd have to be one to understand."

Skye wasn't the only one who'd caught the bitchiness in Madison's tone. "And what exactly is it that you do?" Annie asked. Skye narrowed her eyes at her best friend. Be civil she said, Pfft!

"I'm on the starting line up for the girl's swim team." She smiled proudly.

"No kidding, Skye swim's too." Annie stated flatly.

Madison raised her eyebrows in surprise. "_Really? _You don't seem the _type_."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Honestly, what was it with this girl and not saying what she actually meant?

"Just that you don't _look_ like much of a swimmer…"

"Is that so?" Skye smirked at her, getting up from her seat. _Sly little cow!_

Caleb, anticipating her next move and being the ever capable peacekeeper that he is, tugged on Skye's hand, pulling her away. "Whoa, is that the time? We getter go or we're gonna be late for Calculus!" He announced, grabbing Skye's bag as he led her away from Madison.

They were a couple of tables away when the bitch had the nerve to call after them. "Hope to see you around Skye."

Caleb's grip on her hand tightened and she knew not to turn back.

Annie and Tyler caught up to them soon after. Skye looked at them pointedly. "Still think I should be civil?"

"I can't believe I'm about to say this but…you kinda started it." Annie pointed out hesitantly.

"But you saw the way she acted!" She was in no mood to have her pettiness challenged.

"Yeah but you could've been a bit nicer to start of with…"

"Don't give me that! I saw the way you looked at her!"

"C'mon now ladies, take a breather." Caleb tried calming them- well Skye more so than Annie. "And anyway, Madison might be all smiles at first but trust me, that girl has a nasty streak. Even if you _had_ been nice to her, it probably would've come back to bite you in the ass at some point down the line."

Skye gawked at him. "Tell me you didn't?"

"Sophomore year." He admitted.

"No, no, nooooo!"

"You shudda listened to me and Reid, man." Tyler grinned.

"Explain." Annie asked, confused.

"We both sorta dated her freshman year..."

Skye was in awe. "I _cannot_ believe what I'm hearing! And now she's after Pogue. That's just freakin' perfect isn't it?"

"Give him a break, Skye. You're the one who ended things." Annie said.

Tyler and Caleb gaped at her. Was she crazy? How was this helping?

Skye let out a frustrated sigh. As always, Annie had a point. "I know…you're right…I just wish it wasn't _her._"

"I don't think you're giving Pogue enough credit here, Skye." Caleb said, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Then what's he doing with her?"

They laughed at her. "Really? You don't see it?"

"See what?"

"You know, for someone one who's so smart, you're pretty slow on the uptake."

"Why the hell does everyone in this place speak in riddles?" She yelled, throwing her arms up. "You know what, forget it!" She stomped off in a different direction.

"Where ya going? We have calculus!" Tyler called after her.

"I'll meet you guys there." She turned back to shout down the corridor.

She was going to put Madison Clark in her place one way or the other.

* * *

><p>So there's chapter 10! Hope everyone liked it! Most of this chapter is based on stuff I'd dreamed up in my head so apologies if you didn't like it.<p>

Anyways...

Until next time...  
>Siran :)<p> 


End file.
